A  TEXTBOOK 
OF   FILING 


A   TEXTBOOK 
OF   FILING 


BY 

JAMES  N.  McCORD 

•IHECTOR   OF  NEW   YORK1  SCHOOL  OP  FILING 


ILLUSTRATED 


D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1920 


COPYRIGHT,  1920,  BY 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  8TATE3  OP  AMERICA 


PREFACE 

* 

IN  considering  the  subject  of  filing,  it  is  our  purpose  to 
place  before  the  student  the  most  efficient,  most  up-to-date 
methods ;  but  before  taking  up  the  modern  methods  it  will 
be  interesting  and  profitable  to  consider  briefly  the  evolu- 
tion of  these,  for  evolution  always  works  toward  better- 
ment, and  the  simplicity  and  practicability  of  the  present 
day  vertical  file  can  more  readily  be  comprehended  if  we 
acquaint  ourselves  first  with  some  of  the  troubles  met  by 
our  forebears  in  their  use  of  various  methods  of  greater  or 
less  degree  of  similarity — now  hopelessly  out  of  date. 

Filing — if  we  may  give  it  such  a  name — has  existed  in 
one  form  or  another  since  written  history  began,  as  is  at- 
tested by  the  many  original  tablets,  parchments,  manu- 
scripts, etc.,  of  great  historical  value,  which  have  come 
down  to  us  through  the  ages,  and  which  are  now  jealously 
guarded  in  museums  all  over  the  world.  Without  some 
method  of  preservation  most  of  these  valuable  documents 
of  antiquity  would  have  remained  forever  unknown  to 
us,  although  it  is  of  course  true  that  our  possession  of 
many  of  them  is  the  result  of  pure  chance — record-bear- 
ing stones  and  tablets  having  been  found  in  many  places 
buried  in  the  loose  earth,  with  no  attempt  at  preservation — 
lost,  apparently,  by  the  men  of  a  bygone  age. 

One  of  the  most  common  methods  used  by  the  ancients 
for  the  ''filing"  of  their  papers  was  that  of  keeping  them 
in  a  stone  or  earthenware  vessel,  and  many  bits  of  his- 
torical evidence  have  been  preserved  for  us.  having  been 
written  upon  wax  or  bits  of  stone,  or  parchment,  or  upon 
the  receptacle  itself.  An  interesting  survival  of  this  cus- 
tom is  our  own  universal  practice  of  concealing  in  the 

v 


vi  PREFACE 

cornerstones  of  new  buildings,  letters,  pictures,  newspa- 
pers, etc. 

Among  the  ancients,  with  their  primitive  life,  written 
records  played  a  small  part  as  compared  with  the  place 
they  hold  in  present  day  law  and  life,  and  that  there  was 
any  orderly  arrangement  of  their  few  records,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  later  reference,  is  extremely  doubtful.  Of  course, 
the  day  came  when  man  in  commercial  pursuits  practiced 
the  method  of  tying  together  the  tablets  from  one  man  or 
group  of  men,  of  those  received  during  a  given  interval, 
and  piling  these  small  packages  where  they  would  be  least 
in  the  way.  This  method  is  still  practiced  in  some  locali- 
ties, and  is  another  proof  of  the  hold  that  habit  has  upon 
our  ways  of  work  and  life.  It  is  easily  seen  that  such  a 
method  is  exceedingly  primitive,  cumbersome,  and  expen- 
sive, even  in  the  case  of  stored  or  transferred  material — 
often  of  great  value — that  it  offers  absolutely  no  advan- 
tages, and  is  attended  by  many  disadvantages. 

There  gradually  developed  a  realization  of  the  conven- 
ience of  keeping  together  the  papers, — such  as  letters, 
received  from  one  individual  or  organization,  or  those 
bearing  upon  one  subject,  or  those  received  upon  a  certain 
date,  or  from  certain  localities.  Here  we  see  signs  of,  re- 
spectively, the  subject,  the  chronologic,  the  alphabetic,  and 
the  geographic  methods  of  filing.  The  so-called  ' '  Numeric ' ' 
method  developed  later,  and  was  employed  in  connection 
with  both  the  names  of  the  correspondents  and  the  sub- 
jects dealt  with. 

As  these  methods  came  more  and  more  into  general  use, 
various  improved  devices  were  put  on  the  market  for  the 
segregation  and  housing  of  various  records  not  bound, 
finally  resulting  in  the  universal  adoption  of  the  card 
cabinet  and  vertical  file. 

While  these  two  indispensable  articles  of  modern  office 
equipment  have  become  standardized  the  world  over,  there 
has  naturally  developed  a  number  of  systems,  each  repre- 
senting some  manufacturer's  conception  of  a  proper  alpha- 
betic method.  Particular  emphasis  must  be  laid  upon  the 


PREFACE  vii 

term  "alphabetic"  since  that  is  the  only  method  which 
admits  of  any  considerable  variation — other  methods  being' 
practically  identical  regardless  of  the  manufacturer. 

With  the  ever-increasing  demand  for  improved  filing 
methods  came,  of  course,  a  corresponding  demand  for  oper- 
ators. It  soon  became  obvious  that  the  filing  of  papers 
in  an  office  could  not  be  relegated  to  the  various  clerks  to 
be  accomplished  in  their  spare  moments.  Filing  became  a 
definite,  fixed  and  most  important  office  vocation,  but  a 
vocation  with  which  no  one  was  familiar.  In  a  very  small 
office  it  was  a  comparatively  simple  matter  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  clerk  and  let  her  glean  enough  from  a  manu- 
facturer's advertising  matter  of  the  operation  of  any  par- 
ticular method  that  happened  to  be  installed.  When  it 
came  to  the  various  refinements,  the  intelligent  classifica- 
tion and  segregation,  the  ability  to  accurately  and  instantly 
produce,  and  the  broad  knowledge  of  Methods  instead  of 
familiarity  with  but  one  System,  there  was  no  source  from 
which  properly  qualified  persons  could  be  secured.  Trained 
stenographers,  typists,  bookkeepers  and  telephone  operators 
were  easily  available,  but  no  provision  had  ever  been 
made  for  similar  instruction  for  filing  and  indexing  clerks 
except  by  library  schools  whose  excellent  work  is  con- 
fined to  library  methods. 

This  condition  was  responsible  for  the  founding  early 
in  1914  of  the  New  York  School  of  Filing,  which  has  since 
that  time  established  branches  in  Boston,  Philadelphia, 
and  Chicago.  Based  on  our  experience  in  training  thou- 
sands of  girls  and  women  for  filing  positions  no  matter 
what  methods  were  involved,  or  what  particular  manufac- 
turer's system  was  employed,  this  book  has  been  compiled. 
While  it  is  the  text  book  used  in  our  schools,  it  is  <?  3signed 
for  students  of  schools  in  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
maintain  the  extensive  equipment  used  by  our  own  schools 
in  teaching  such  a  highly  specialized  subject. 

Its  purpose  is  to  instruct  in  the  different  Methods  of 
filing,  which  are  limited,  while  the  different  Systems  are 
numerous  and  must  be  reduced  to  a  possible  four  methods. 


viii  PREFACE 

The  applications  of  these  methods  to  various  lines  of  busi- 
ness and  to  professions ;  office  routine,  short  cuts,  cross  refer- 
ence and  different  refinements  and  ramifications  all  come  in 
for  proper  consideration  and  the  volume  is  equally  as  valu- 
able as  a  reference  book  as  a  textbook. 


CONTENTS 


I.  FILING  EQUIPMENT 

Obsolete  Equipment — Evolution — Modern  Equipment 

— Types — Accessories — Supplies 1 

II.  ROUTING 

In-coming  Mail — Out-going  Mail — Methods  of  Copy- 
ing Letters  —  Distribution  —  Collections  —  Sorting — 
Rules 15 

III.  ALPHABETIC  METHODS 

Interpretations  of  the  Different  Manufacturers — Types 

of  Supplies — Cross  Referencing — Out-charging 22 

IV.  NUMERIC  FILING 

Indexing — Sorting — Use  of  Index — Cross  Referencing.       32 

V.  GEOGRAPHIC  METHODS 

When  Used — Basis  of  Distribution — Expansion  Possi- 
bilities   47 

VI.  SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS 

Alphabetic  Method — Duplex-Numeric  Method — Deci- 
mal Method — Cross  Referencing 53 

VII.  AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM 

Basic  Principles — Use  of  Chart — Methods  of  Checking 
and  Filing — Cross  Referencing 67 

VIII.  CARD  INDEXING 

Sizes,  Ruling  and  Punching  of  Cards — Card  Guides — 
Varieties  of  Tabs — Alphabetic  Subdivisions — Methods 
of  Guiding  Large  Card  Lists — Visible  Index — Use  of 
Signals  or  Indicators — Card  Indexes  for  Libraries 74 

IX.  TRANSFERRING 

Varieties  of  Equipment — Methods  of  Transfer — Pres- 
ervation of  Records 93 


CONTENTS 


X.  LEGAL  FILING 

Equipment — Methods — Terminology — Docket — Index 

to  Decisions — Opinions — Legal  Forms 105 

XI.  INSURANCE 

Life — Fire — Casualty — Marine — Solicitors'  Records — 
Agents  and  Brokers — Home  Office — Daily  Reports — 
Applications  —  Policyholders'  Records  —  Expiration 
Records 118 

XII.  REAL  ESTATE 

Property  Lists — Classifications — Insurance  Records — 
Transfer — Installments 126 

XIII.  FOLLOW-UP  METHODS 

Chronologic  —  Alphabetic  —  Correspondence  Tickler 
System — Card  Follow-ups — Mail  Order — Stencils 133 

XIV.  BANKING 

Classes — General  Correspondence — Credit  Information 
— Remittance  and  Collection  Letters — Paid  Checks — 
Miscellaneous  Banks — Correspondent  Banks — Signa- 
ture Records — Savings  Department — Safe  Deposit 
Department — Trust  Records 141 

XV.  SALES 

Reports — Customers'  Records — Follow-up — Compara- 
tive Sales — Routing — Credit  Records — Advertising...  151 

XVI.  MANUFACTURING 

Costs — Purchasing  Department — Requisitions — Pur- 
chase Orders— Blueprints  and  Drawings— Stock  Records 
— Employees'  Records — Bills  and  Correspondence  ....  160 

XVII.  STOCKS  AND  BONDS 

Customers'  Lists — Classification  of  Securities — Classi- 
fication of  Clients — "Bid  and  Offer"  Records — Corre- 
spondence— Statistical  Libraries 169 

XVIII.  CARD  LEDGERS 

Varieties — Use  of  Index — Types  of  Desks 175 

APPENDIX 

Filing  and  Indexing  Rules 180 

INDEX.  .  189 


A  TEXTBOOK 
OF   FILING 


A   TEXTBOOK 
OF   FILING 

CHAPTER  I 
FILING  EQUIPMENT 

Early  Filing  Devices. 

Among  the  earliest  filing  devices  was  the  SPINDLE  FILE, 
which  consisted  merely  of  a  straight  or  bent  sharp- 
pointed  wire  file  on  which  papers  were  impaled  with- 
out any  idea  of  classification  or  segregation. 


SPINDLE    FILE. 

Next  developed  the  BELLOWS  FILE,  which  is  a  fan-like 
container- with  compartments  for  alphabetic  or  chrono- 
logic arrangement. 


BELLOWS    FILE. 
1 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Finally  came  upon  the  market  with  the  increase  of 
correspondence  and  business  papers  the  BOX  FILE  and 

the  FLAT  FILE. 

Box  FILE. 

The  box  file  contains  a  sheet  index,  tabbed  ac- 
cording to  the  system  desired  and  fastened  into  the 
box  at  one  side.  Papers  are  filed  between  these 
sheets.  Boxes  stand  on  end  as  they  accumulate. 


BOX   FILE. 

FLAT  FILE. 

The  flat  file  consists  of  a  series  of  trays,  arranged 
drawer-fashion  in  a  wooden  shell.  Each  tray  has 
on  the  front  a  label  indicating  its  contents.  Each 
of  these  compartments  is  equipped  with  a  sheet  index 
arranged  for  filing  alphabetically,  chronologically, 
numerically,  geographically  or  by  subject,  letters 
being  filed  between  these  sheets.  See  cut  page  3. 
Disadvantages  of  the  Flat  File. 

1.  The  necessity  of  lifting  up  all  the  papers 
in  a  tray  above  the  one  desired. 

2.  "Waste  of  space,  because  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  equipment  is  constructed. 

While  not  obsolete,  the  flat  method  has  been 
practically  superseded  by  a  more  efficient  sys- 
tem— the  vertical  filing  method. 


FILING  EQUIPMENT 


3 


Vertical  Filing. 

Vertical  filing  consists  of  filing  papers  in  an  upright 
position,  usually  in  folders  and  behind  guides.  This 
method  offers  speed  of  operation,  is  most  economical 
from  a  space-saving  standpoint,  and  all  papers  are  in- 
stantly accessible. 


FLAT    FILE. 

Equipment. 

FILING  CABINETS. 

Filing  Cabinets  in  use  at  the  present  time  are  of 
three  distinct  types. 

Vertical  or  Upright  Units. 

These  are  called  units  because  they  are  made 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


FILING  EQUIPMENT  5 

in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  them  interchange- 
able, and  a  unit  usually  consists  of  a  certain 
number  of  drawers  of  the  same  size.  In  some 
cases,  however,  where  a  combination  of  two  or 
more  different  sizes  is  possible  in  the  same  unit, 
they  are  built  on  that  plan.  Each  manufac- 
turer has  his  own  distinctive  line,  and  while 
the  outside  dimensions  may  differ  slightly,  the 
inside  dimensions  are  standard,  and  with  few 
exceptions,  the  supplies  made  by  one  manufac- 
turer may  be  used  in  cabinets  made  by  any  of 
the  others.  The  illustration  below  shows  a  line 


STACK   OF  HORIZONTAL    SECTIONS. 


HALF  SIZE  STACK  OF  HOR- 
IZONTAL SECTIONS. 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

of  wooden  cabinets  or  units  joined  together. 
Modern  vertical  filing  cabinets  are  inter- 
changeable, and  make  provision  for  filing  cor- 
respondence, legal  papers,  checks,  documents, 
vouchers,  etc.,  as  well  as  all  the  standard  sized 
cards. 

Horizontal  Units. 

These  are  added  to,  above  or  below  the  orig- 
inal section,  thus  allowing  for  expansion  and 
re-arrangement.  The  object  of  the  horizontal 
unit  is  to  provide  for  a  greater  combination  of 
filing  equipment  in  a  smaller  space  than  thai? 
occupied  by  the  vertical  units. 

SoUd  Cabinets. 

These  are  cabinets  which  permit  of  no  ex- 
pansion and  are  usually  confined  to  correspond- 
ence files  of  two  or  four  drawers  for  individual 
requirements  or  to  card  cabinets. 

As  a  rule,  of  course,  only  the  smaller  num- 
ber of  drawers  are  in  demand,  as  the  sectional 
cabinets  are  much  more  economical  for  large 
card  lists. 

Counter-High  Cabinets. 

Some  manufacturers  practically  duplicate 
the  line  of  vertical  units  except  as  to  height, 
making  them  three  drawers  high  so  that  they 
may  be  used  as  a  counter  when  it  is  necessary 
to  utilize  every  inch  of  floor  space.  These  are 
Creatly  in  demand  in  insurance  and  real  estate 
offices  where  it  is  necessary  to  consult  maps 
and  other  large  volumes  and  yet  have  the  cor- 
respondence and  cards  in  close  proximity. 


FILING  EQUIPMENT  7 

They  are  also  useful  for  blocking  off  the  filing 
department  and  excluding  the  office  at  large 
from  the  files  and  yet  enable- the  easy  transac- 
tion of  filing  business. 

NOTE: — Practically  all  of  the  above  equipment 
may  be  procured  in  either  steel  or  wood.  The 
advantages  of  steel  over  wood  are  that  it  is 
more  fire-resisting  and  occupies  less  space.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  steel  equipment  is  as  a  rule 
more  noisy,  when  scratched  or  marred  is  not. 
so  easily  repaired  and  is  more  expensive.  The 
selection  of  steel  or  wood  is  usually  a  matter 
of  personal  preference.  Wooden  cabinets  are 
procurable  in  oak  or  mahogany.  Steel  cabinets 
may  be  finished  to  match  either  of  these 
woods,  but  they  are  usually  finished  in  olive 
green. 
Units. 

One  vertical  section  of  drawers  constitutes  a 
unit. 

One  horizontal  section  of  drawers  constitutes 
a  unit. 

A  string  of  units  constitutes  a  "battery." 
Inside   dimensions   as   to   height    and   width    of 

drawer  in  either  type  of  unit. 
Legal  size, 

approximately . .  10%  in.  high  x  15  in.  wide 
Correspondence  size, 

approximately.  .lOi/2  in.  high  x  12  in.  wide 
Invoice  size, 

approximately 8  in.  high  x  10  in.  wide 

These  are  the  sizes  for  which  there  is  the 
greatest  demand,  but  of  course  the  document, 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

check,  card  units  and  others  are  also  exten- 
sively used  and  the  sizes  are  standard.  The 
width  and  height  of  drawers  in  filing  cabinets 
are  standard  but  the  depth  from  front  to  back 
varies. 

Follow-block. 

This  is  an  upright  movable  partition  placed 
in  each  drawer  of  a  filing  cabinet  to  keep  the 
contents  in  an  upright  position.  As  soon  as 
the  filing  has  been  completed  for  the  day,  the 
follow-block  should  be  brought  up  against  the 
folders  and  guides  as  tightly  as  possible  to  pre- 
vent the  sagging  and  creasing  of  the  papers  in 
the  file. 

Card  Cabinets. 

These  may  be  procured  containing  from  one 
to  one  hundred  twenty  (1-120)  or  more  drawers. 
The  drawers  may  be  of  three  sizes,  3x5,  4x6, 
5x8,  to  fit  the  three  standard  sized  cards. 
These  cabinets  are  made  in  the  solid  type,  also 
in  vertical  and  horizontal  units. 

Accessories. 

1. — Collection  Trays  are  used  on  the  office 
desk  for  holding  various  kinds  of  papers.  In 
a  properly  equipped  office,  each  desk  of  an  offi- 
cial is  provided  with  at  least  two  trays,  one  for 
the  incoming  mail  which  is  to  receive  his  at- 
tention and  the  other  for  the  outgoing  mail,  this 
including  both  the  actual  letters  themselves  to 
be  sent  out  and  the  carbon  copies  which  are  to 
be  sent  to  the  filing  room. 

2. — Sorting  Tubs.  These  are  deep  trays 
equipped  with  guides  and  used  for  the  prelim- 


FILING  EQUIPMENT 


SORTING   TUB. 

inary  sorting  or  throwing  of  mail  preparatory 
to  filing.  The  guides  in  use  in  these  trays  of 
course  vary  according  to  the  system  in  use. 
These  tubs  may  be  obtained  either  with  or  with- 
out a  base. 

3. — Distribution  Shelves  or  Reference  Shelves 
are  used  in  the  process  of  filing  after  mail  has 


DISTRIBUTION    SHELF. 


10  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

been  sorted.    These  shelves  may  be  attached  to 
the  handle  or  side  of  the  drawer.    They  should 
be  placed  at  the  right  hand  side  or  over  the 
.  drawer  in  which  filing  is  done. 
SUPPLIES. 
Folders. 

A  Folder  is  a  sheet  of  heavy  paper  folded 
over  once,  the  fold  becoming  the  bottom  of  the 
container.  The  type  of  folder  used  is  deter- 
mined by  the  system.  The  position  and  size 
of  the  tabs  of  the  guides  behind  which  folders 
are  filed  regulate  the  variety  of  folder  used,  it 
being  necessary  to  use  straight-edge  folders  in 
some  cases  and  folders  with  tabs  in  other 
cases. 

1 — A  Straight-edge  Folder  has  a  straight 
edge  at  the  top  of  both  front  and  back  flaps. 
Any  notation  concerning  its  contents  is  made 
on  the  back  flap  which  is  slightly  higher  than 
the  front  flap. 


STRAIGHT-EDGE    FOLDER. 


2. — A  Tab  Folder  has  a  projection  or  tab  at 
the  top  of  the  back  flap  on  which  is  written  the 
name  applying  to  the  contents  of  the  folder. 


FILING  EQUIPMENT 


11 


TAB   FOLDER. 

3. — An  Expansion  Folder  has  additional 
folds  at  the  bottom  allowing  for  the  filing  of  a 
greater  number  of  papers  than  is  possible  in  the 
regular  folder.  The  cut  shows  a  heavy  press 
board  expansion  folder  with  a  metal  tip  tab. 


EXPANSION   FOLDER. 

4. — A  Binder  Folder  is  a  folder  either 
straight-edge  or  tabbed  with  a  metal  fastener 
for  attaching  papers  to  the  folder.  The  fasten- 
ers may  be  at  the  top  of  the  folder  or  on  the 
binding  edge,  whichever  seems  more  convenient 
for  reference.  These  folders  are  used  when  the 
filing  matter  is  of  a  valuable  character,  as  they 
insure  safe  transmission  and  prevent  possible 
loss  of  contents  when  out  of  the  file. 


12 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


BINDER  FOLDER. 


Guides. 

A  Guide  is  a  heavy  card,  the  body  of  which 
is  the  same  size  as  the  folder  with  which  it  is 
used.  At  the  top  is  a  tab  projecting  above  the 


FIFTH    CUT   GUIDES. 


edge  of  the  folders,  its  purpose  in  the  file  being 
to  guide  the  eye  in  locating  material.  Guides 
should  be  arranged  at  regular  intervals  in  the 
file. 


FILING  EQUIPMENT 


13 


1 

i 

i 

1 

1 

I 

1 

1 

^ 

L 

THIRD  CUT  GUIDES. 

1 — Arrangement. 

Guides  may  be  one-half  cut,  one-third 
cut,  one-fifth  cut,  etc.  According  to  the 
width  of  the  tabs  we  speak  of  the  positions 
in  the  file  from  left  to  right  as  first,  second, 
third,  etc.  The  term  staggered  is  used  to 
designate  the  arrangement  of  tabs  in  vari- 
ous positions. 


HALF  CUT  GUIDES. 


2 — Material. 

Guides  are  made  of  manila,  press-board 


14  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

or   bristol-board    with    plain,    celluloid   or 
metal  tips. 
Check-Sorter  or  Rod  Projection 

This  is  that  portion  of  the  guide  which  ex- 
tends below  the  body  of  the  guide.  A  rod  is 
run  through  the  eyelet  of  all  the  guides  in  a 
drawer  to  hold  them  in  place. 

Quiz — FILING  EQUIPMENT 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  flat  filing?     Is  it  to  be 
recommended  ?    Why  ? 

2.  What  do  you  understand  by  vertical  filing?     Is  it  to 
be  recommended?     Why? 

3.  Name  three  types  of  generally  used  filing  cabinets. 
What  possibilities  of  expansion  does  each  offer? 

4.  State  inside  dimensions  of  legal,  correspondence  and 
invoice  size  drawer  units.     Card  cabinets  are  made  to  fit 
cards  of  what  sizes? 

5.  What  is  a  follow-block  ?    State  its  purpose. 

6.  Describe  briefly  and  state  the  uses  of  collection  trays, 
sorting  tubs  and  distribution  shelves. 

7.  What  is  a  folder?    Name  four  types. 

8.  What  is  a  guide  ?    What  do  you  understand  by  "third 
cut"  and  "fifth  cut"  guides? 

9.  Name  three  materials  of  which  guides  are  made. 

10.  What  is  a  "check  sorter"  or  "rod  projection"? 


CHAPTER  II 
EOUTING 

It  is  important  that  the  student  be  familiar  with  the 
processes  through  which  the  daily  mail  in  an  office  goes 
from  the  time  of  its  receipt  until  it  is  finally  filed. 
Correspondence. 

This  embraces  all  general  communications  and  includes 
in-coming  and  out-going  letters,  telegrams,  bills,  orders, 
documents,  etc. 
IN-COMING  MAIL. 

This  is  what  the  term  implies — all  mail  received 
from  outside  sources. 

In  a  firm  of  any  size  the  mail  is  usually  opened 
by  a  mail  clerk  and  sorted  for  the  various  depart- 
ments for  which  it  is  intended.  The  mail  clerk  has 
a  time  and  date  stamp  which  has  a  clock-like  attach- 
ment for  indicating  just  the  hour  a  letter  is  received. 
Each  letter  is  stamped  immediately  after  being 
opened.  Letters  also  are  often  stamped  with  the 
name  of  the  department  to  which  they  are  referred. 
In  some  cases,  dependent  upon  the  system  used,  this 
mail  is  submitted,  before  distribution  to  the  various 
departments,  to  the  head  file  clerk  who  makes  some 
notation  on  each  letter  of  its  proper  filing  designa- 
tion. 
OUT-GOING  MAIL. 

After  the  mail  has  been  distributed  to  the  various 
department  heads,   it  is  given   attention  by  these 
is 


16  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

respective   departments   and   the  necessary  replies 
dictated. 

Copies  of  these  replies  in  modern  business  are 
usually  made  in  one  of  two  ways. 
Carbon  Copies. 

These   are  the   regular  copies  made  on  the 
typewriter  by  means  of  carbon  sheets  and  are 
usually  on  strong  tissue  paper. 
Rotary  Copier. 

There  are  several  styles  of  these  copiers  on 
the  market,  one  of  which  we  have  illustrated. 
The  chief  advantage  of  a  copier  of  this  charac- 
ter is  that  the  copy  is  always  an  exact  duplicate 
of  the  letter  itself  and  contains  the  signature 
of  the  writer.  In  carbon  copies  it  frequently 
happens  that  mistakes  are  made  in  the  original 
and  these  are  afterwards  corrected  by  a  stenog- 
rapher, but  through  an  oversight,  the  duplicate 
copy  is  not  corrected.  In  using  the  rotary 
copier,  it  is  necessary  to  use  copying  ink  and 
the  impression  is  made  upon  long  strips  of  tis- 
sue by  means  of  pressure,  and  this  tissue  winds 
itself  upon  a  large  reel.  The  copies  must  then 
be  cut  into  proper  lengths  for  filing. 

This,  of  course,  is  merely  an  improvement  over  the  old 
style  letter-press  and  copy  book.  This  device  was  very 
generally  used  at  the  time  that  the  office  boy  did  the  filing. 
It  consisted  of  a  book  containing  several  hundred  tissue 
pages  all  numbered  and  with  an  index.  The  out-going 
letters  were  placed  in  this  book,  one  letter  to  a  page  and 
wet  cloths  and  heavy  backs  inserted  between  each  two  let- 


ROUTING  17 

ters.  When  all  the  letters  were  inserted  in  the  book  it  was 
placed  in  the  press,  clamped  down  as  tightly  as  possible  and 
impressions  taken. 


ROTARY   COPIER. 

Some  firms  still  use  a  copy  book  in  making  a  supple- 
mentary copy  for  important  papers. 

In  such  cases  there  will  be  one  file  copy  and  the  extra 
copy  contained  in  the  book,  insuring  absolute  duplication 
in  copying. 


18  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

At  certain  times  during  the  day  or  at  the  end  of  the 
day  the  mail  clerk  makes  his  rounds  of  the  various  de- 
partments collecting  the  original  letters  which  have  re- 
ceived attention  and  the  copies  of  the  replies  to  return 
them  to  the  filing  department.  As  a  letter  is  answered, 
the  person  who  has  given  it  attention  should  indicate  this 
fact  by  a  check  or  his  initial  on  the  face  of  the  letter, 
so  that  upon  its  return  to  the  filing  department,  the  fact 
that  it  has  been  answered  is  readily  apparent. 

In  filing  the  incoming  letters,  there  are  three  things  to 
be  taken  into  consideration,  the  name  at  the  top  of  the 
letterhead,  the  contents  of  the  letter  and  the  signature. 
In  many  cases,  the  name  of  the  writer  is  the  determining 
feature  in  filing  as  he  may  have  no  connection  whatever 
with  the  firm  on  whose  letterhead  he  is  writing.  Again, 
the  name  on  the  letterhead  may  be  the  proper  considera- 
tion or  it  may  be  that  the  subject  matter  of  the  letter 
forms  the  basis  on  which  it  is  filed.  All  of  this,  of  course, 
is  affected  by  the  system  in  use  and  unless  the  proper 
filing  designation  is  indicated  by  the  person  who  answers 
the  letter  the  filing  clerk  must  determine  this. 

At  the  lower  left  hand  corner  of  the  letter,  the  initials 
of  the  person  dictating  should  appear  as  well  as  those  of 
the  stenographer  who  wrote  the  letter  so  as  to  be  able 
to  identify  the  writer  should  the  occasion  arise. 

Before  distribution  of  this  material  among  the  files,  the 
filing  clerk  should  indicate  on  the  carbon  copies  the 
proper  filing  designation  of  each  and,  if  the  original  let- 
ters have  not  received  her  attention  prior  to  distribution, 
these  must  be  treated  in  the  same  manner.  Preliminary 
sorting  of  the  mail  is  the  next  step,  using  the  sorting  tray 
or  tub  for  this  purpose.  Incoming  letters  are  sometimes 
attached  either  by  clips  or  paste  to  the  copy  of  the  re- 


ROUTING  19 

plies,  but  the  use  of  clips  and  pins  as  a  general  thing  is 
undesirable.  After  the  mail  has  been  grouped  in  a 
general  way  under  whatever  system  is  in  use,  it  is  then 
distributed  in  the  proper  folders  throughout  the  files  by 
the  various  clerks.  The  latest  letters  are  always  filed  at 
the  front  of  the  folder  so  that  upon  its  being  opened  the 
latest  information  is  always  on  top. 

Observance  of  the  following  suggestions  will  do  much 
to  systematize  the  daily  filing  routine : 

1.  Eeally  intelligent  filing  necessitates  the  read- 
ing of  correspondence,  excepting,  of  course,  form 
letters,  bills,  etc.    This  means  grasping  the  essential 
contents,  not  the  entire  letter  in  detail,  which,  with  a 
little  practice,  the  operator  can  train  herself  to  do 
very  rapidly. 

2.  Material  torn  or  in  bad  condition  should  be 
repaired  with  mending  tissue. 

3.  In  placing  material  in  the  files,  the  correct 
guide  is  first  located.    Look  for  this  first.    Your  eye 
travels  faster  than  your  fingers.     Then  when  you 
have  found  it,  or  come  as  close  to  it  as  possible,  use 
your  hands  for  selecting  the  proper  guide  and  filing. 
Should  the  guide  be  far  back  in  the  file,  draw  the 
bulk  of  other  guides  and  folders  forward  by  grasp- 
ing at  the  sides.    Remember  that  the  tab  is  the  weak- 
est part  of  a  guide,  and  while  you  will  often  have 
to  finger  it  directly,  remove  as  much  weight  as  pos- 
sible from  the  front  of  it  before  doing  so.    In  putting 
material  in  the  folders,  lift  the  folders  up  if  not  en- 
tirely out  of  the  file,  otherwise  papers  may  be  placed 
in  the  wrong  folders  or  between  folders.     This  will 
train  you  to  check  what  you  are  filing  with  the 
notations  on  the  folders. 


20  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

•  4.  Have  the  headings  of  both  full  and  half -page 
etters  to  left  as  operator  faces  file.  This  brings  all 
material  in  one  position,  and  reference  to  a  folder 
is  like  turning  the  pages  of  a  book. 

5.  All  letters  to  and  from  the  same  correspon- 
dent are  filed  together  in  one  folder  the  latest  date 
to  the  front.    This  brings  the  newest  information  to 
first  attention  and  avoids  pulling  forward  or  re- 
moving (if  using  a  binder  folder)  all  other  material 
in  order  to  maintain  a  reversal  of  date  order. 

6.  The  use  of  rubber  finger  tips  is  recommended 
for  going  through  a  number  of  papers  rapidly. 

7.  Avoid  disorder  and  confusion  in  your  depart- 
ment.   Keep  mail  filed  "up  to  the  minute. ' '    Never 
leave  any  material  on  top  of  the  files  and  close  every 
file  drawer  after  using.    Letters  should  not  project 
from  the  sides  or  top  of  the  folders.     Unfiled  ma- 
terial not  under  constant  supervision  should  be  pro- 
tected with  paper  weights.    See  that  the  guides  are 
all  rodded  into  place  and  the  follow-blocks  tightened 
and  in  proper  position. 

Quiz  ROUTING 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  in-coming  mail?     De- 
scribe the  method  of  its  handling. 

2.  What  do  you  understand  by  out-going  mail  ? 

3.  Name  two  generally  used  modern  methods  employed 
in  copying  out-going  letters. 

4.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  letter  press  and  copy 
book? 

5.  How  may  a  file  clerk  know  material  is  ready  to  be 
filed? 


EOUTING  21 

6.  How  would  you  determine  just  where  to  file  a  letter  ? 

7.  Why  should  correspondence  be  read  before  filing? 

8.  What  routine  should  be  followed  in  placing  material 
in  the  files? 

9.  How  would  you  file  in-coming  and  out-going  mail  for 
the  same  correspondent? 

10.  What  general  suggestions  can  you  make  for  keeping 
a  department  in  good  order? 


CHAPTER  III 

ALPHABETIC  METHODS 

ALPHABETIC  FILING. 

This  is  in  many  ways  the  simplest  method  of  vertical 
filing.  Letters  and  papers  are  filed  alphabetically  by 
name  of  correspondent  or  any  subject  concerned,  and 
reference  to  the  papers  is  direct;  that  is,  no  index  is  re- 
quired other  than  the  guides  themselves;  it  is  therefore 
called  a  direct  reference  method. 
VARIETIES. 

There  are  more  varieties  of  alphabetic  systems 
than  of  any  other.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  each 
manufacturer  has  his  own  interpretation  of  an  al- 
phabetic system  and  as  a  result  puts  on  the  market 
a  patented  system  which  usually  bears  some  trade 
name. 

The  simplest  deviation  from  the  straight  A,  B,  C, 
guide  method  is  one  in  which  the  alphabet  is  sub- 
divided with  the  various  arrangements  of  the  vowels 
and  consonants. 

The  different  manufacturers  have  sets  of  guides 
made  up  in  different  subdivisions  ranging  from 
twenty-five  to  two  thousand.  In  the  larger  subdivi- 
sions the  use  of  proper  names  at  intervals  is  usually 
employed.  The  number  of  subdivisions,  of  course, 
is  determined  by  the  number  of  correspondents  in- 
volved. Twenty-five  or  thirty  guides  to  a  drawer 
is  considered  a  good  average. 
22 


Fo-Fy  \Ga-Ge  YGh-Go   VQr-Gz 


ALPHABETIC   SYSTEM  WITH  MORE  THAN  ONE  DESIGNATION  TO  A  TAB. 

23 


24  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

One  of  the  first  distinctions  between  alphabetic 

systems  is  the  use  of  a  single  or  a  double  notation 

on  the  guide  tabs.     The  preceding  cut  illustrates  a 

system  employing  the  use  of  these  double  notations. 

Alphabetic  Notations  with  Numbers  Added. 

The  cut  on  page  25  represents  a  system  using  a 
subdivided  set  of  alphabetic  guides,  one  notation  to 
a  tab,  with  the  tabs  of  the  folders  appearing  above 
the  tops  of  the  guides. 

The  guides  are  numbered  consecutively  merely  as 
a  check  against  misfiling  and  the  folders  should  also 
be  numbered. 

The  guide  tabs  appear  in  the  first  two  positions  at 
the  left.  "TSiext  come  the  tabs  of  the  miscellaneous 
folders,  then  the  wide  tabs  of  the  individual  folders. 
If  the  individual  folders  are  numbered,  the  number 
should  appear  before  the  name.  This  brings  the 
numbers  next  to  those  of  the  numbered  miscel- 
laneous folders.  The  proximity  of  the  numbers  on 
these  two  tabs  acts  as  a  check  against  misfiling  as 
any  discrepancy  is  immediately  apparent. 

The  cut  on  page  26  shows  a  system  which  is  iden- 
tical with  the  one  above  mentioned  except  that  the 
guide  tabs  have  more  than  one  designation  and  the 
miscellaneous  and  individual  folders  occupy  differ- 
ent positions  in  relation  to  the  guides  than  in  the 
system  first  mentioned.  Fundamentally  these  sys- 
tems are  identical,  the  only  difference  being  the  rela- 
tion of  the  folders  and  guides  to  each  other,  the  com- 
bination of  colors  and  other  features  which  dis- 
tinguish each  manufacturer's  product.  If  the  stu- 
dent is  familiar  with  the  general  principles  of  alpha- 
betic filing  he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  operating 


DRAWER    CONTAINING    SET-UP    OF   ALPHABETIC    METHOD   WITH    NUMBERS    ADDED. 

25 


26  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

any  of  the  many  systems  which  maintain  an  alpha- 
betic arrangement. 


SIMILAR    SYSTEM    WITH    PLURAL    NOTATIONS    ON    GUIDES. 

MISCELLANEOUS  FOLDER. 

This  is  a  folder  which  bears  the  same  notation  as 
the  guide  preceding  it.  The  notation  or  entire 
folder  is  often  of  contrasting  color  and  contains  all 
the  miscellaneous  correspondence  of  that  division. 


ALPHABETIC  METHODS 


27 


Letters  in  this  folder  are  filed  alphabetically  accord- 
ing to  the  names  of  the  correspondents.  Should 
there  be  more  than  one  letter  from  the  same  cor- 
respondent these  are  arranged  in  date  order. 

INDIVIDUAL  FOLDER. 

This  is  a  folder  meant  to  contain  all  the  letters 
on  one  subject  or  to  and  from  one  correspondent.  A 
correspondent  is  termed  active  because  of  the  num- 
ber of  letters  received  from  him  (which  may  vary 
from  three  to  ten).  He  is  then  given  an  individual 
folder,  bearing  his  name,  which  should  be  tran- 
scribed accurately  from  one  of  his  own  letterheads. 
This  correspondence  should  be  arranged  in  date 
order,  latest  date  to  the  front  of  the  folder.  This 
folder  precedes  the  miscellaneous,  and  where  there 
are  several  individual  folders  behind  the  same  guide 
they  are  arranged  alphabetically. 

CROSS  REFERENCE  SHEET. 

This  is  a  sheet  of  paper  placed  in  a  folder  to  refer 


NAME  OF  Su»JCCT 


SEE 

NAME  OR  SUBJECT  FILE  No. 


CROSS   REFERENCE    SHEET. 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

the  searcher  to  another  folder  in  which  may  be 
found  the  desired  material.  It  is  generally  of  con- 
trasting color  such  as  yellow  or  salmon,  in  order  to 
appear  in  sharp  contrast  to  letters  in  the  file.  This 
sheet  is  made  up  while  sorting  mail  for  filing 
"OUT"  GUIDE. 

This  is  a  guide  of  contrasting  color  bearing  the 
word  "Out"  upon  the  tab.  It  is  placed  in  the  file 
upon  the  removal  of  a  folder,  bearing  a  notation  of 
the  name  of  the  correspondent  whose  folder  is  taken, 
by  whom  and  upon  what  date.  The  "Out"  guide 
is  removed  and  the  name  checked  off  when  the  folder 
is  returned. 

The  following  cut  illustrates  an  "Out"  guide  on 
which  notations  are  made  until  the  guide  is  entirelv 
filled. 


S                       OUT  CARD  "V 

Ml  RtMOVEO  FIWM  HLI 

•CFEMNCE  INDEX  or  ir 

•Ml 

1UUICT 

j^t,.  ^t- 

:rr  rr£ 

J^*l£jf~~ 

S352|5 

f" 

;  ;  .r* 

&3H&*<      | 

^ 

1. 

The  cut  on  page  29  shows  an  "Out"  guide  which 
has  at  the  top  a  container  for  a  three  by  five  card. 
These  cards  are  in  the  form  of  requisitions  for  cor- 
respondence and  come  from  various  departments  to 
the  filing  department.  Upon  the  removal  of  a  folder 
from  the  file,  a  file  clerk  inserts  the  "Out"  guide  in 


ALPHABETICAL  METHODS 


29 


the  place  occupied  by  the  folder  and  fits  the  three 
by  five  requisition  card  in  the  container.  Upon  the 
return  of  the  correspondence  this  requisition  is 


2. 

destroyed  and  the  guide  is  stored  for  further  use. 
By  this  method  no  notations  are  ever  made  directly 
on  the  guide  and  it  is  naturally  more  economical 
than  the  other  type. 

An  "Out"  folder  is  sometimes  used  instead  of 
an  "Out"  guide.  One  advantage  of  the  former  is 
that  if  the  entire  folder  is  removed^f  rom  the  file  and 
correspondence  comes  in  during  its  absence,  this 
may  be  placed  in  the  ' '  Out ' '  folder  and  transferred 
to  the  regular  folder  upon  its  return.  If  an  "Out" 
guide  is  used,  of  course,  there  is  no  folder  in  the  file 
to  substitute  for  the  one  which  has  been  removed. 
SUBSTITUTION  CARDS. 

These  are  cards  of  contrasting  color,  placed  in  the 
folder  from  which  one  or  more  letters  have  been  re- 
moved. They  bear  the  same  record  as  the  "Out" 
guides,  and  are  checked  and  removed  when  letters 
are  returned. 


30 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


FOLDER  CONTAINING   A    SUBSTITUTION    CARD. 

A  supply  of  these  cards  and'" Out"  guides  should 
be  kept  at  the  front  of  the  filing  drawer. 

Never  allow  folders  to  become  overcrowded  and  torn. 
When  they  become  too  bulky  for  convenient  handling 
they  should  be  divided  as  follows : 
Miscellaneous  Folders 

By  making  individual  folders  for  active  cor- 
respondents. 
Individual  Folders 

By  months,  weeks,  or  such  periods  as  may  be 
found  expedient;  also  by  locality  or  subject. 

Quiz — ALPHABETIC  FILING 

1.  What  do  you  understand  by  alphabetic  filing? 

2.  Name   two   methods    of    designating    the    alphabetic 
subdivisions  on  guide  tabs.     What  do  you  understand  by 
each? 

3.  State  the  purpose  of  numbers  as  used  in  certain  al- 
phabetic systems.    Where  do  these  numbers  appear? 

4.  How  would  you  determine  the  guides  necessary  for  a 
4-drawer  file?  for  a  12-drawer  file? 

5.  What  is  the  purpose  of  a  miscellaneous  folder  ?    What 


ALPHABETIC  METHODS  31 

is  its  position  in  the  file?     What  is  the  arrangement  of 
material  in  this  folder? 

6.  What  is  the  purpose  of  an  individual  folder?    What 
is  the  arrangement  of  material  in  this  folder  ?  Where  there 
are  several  individual  folders  behind  one  guide  what  is 
their  arrangement  ? 

7.  Describe  and  state  the  purpose  of  a  cross  reference 
sheet.     Give  an  instance  illustrating  its  use. 

8.  If  a  folder  is  removed  from  the  file  how  would  you 
record  its  absence? 

9.  State  the  purpose  of  substitution  cards. 

10.  What  is  the  remedy  for  bulky  folders? 


CHAPTER  IV 

NUMERIC  FILING 

Numeric  Filing. 

ARRANGEMENT  OP  FOLDERS  AND  GUIDES. 

This  system  requires  that  a  file  number  be  as- 
signed to  each  important  correspondent  or  subject. 
Each  folder  bears  a  number.  These  folders  are  ar- 
ranged in  sequence  in  the  files  with  a  guide  to  every 
ten  or  twenty,  numbered  in  multiples  of  ten.  The 
number  appears  at  the  extreme  right  of  the  folder 
and,  as  a  rule,  the  straight-edge  type  is  used. 

Some  manufacturers  advocate  both  the  name  and 
number  appearing  on  the  folder  and  differ  as  to 
whether  the  number  should  precede  or  follow  the 
name. 

CARD  INDEX. 

Reference  to  this  file  is  made  by  means  of  a  card 
index.  These  cards  are  usually  three  inches  by  five 
inches  and  each  card  bears  a  number  corresponding 
with  that  of  a  folder  in  the  file.  The  name  of  the 
correspondent  appears  on  the  card  and  the  cards 
are  filed  alphabetically,  each  card  in  the  index  hav- 
ing a  folder  bearing  the  same  number  in  the  cor- 
respondence file.  Again  manufacturers  differ  as  to 
whether  this  number  should  appear  in  the  right  or 
left  hand  corner  of  the  card,  and  the  position  of 
the  name  is  of  course  determined  by  this. 
32 


NUMERIC  FILING 


33 


PROCEDURE. 
Indexing. 

Before  distributing  the  in-coming  mail  each 
letter  should  be  numbered  with  a  proper  num- 
ber which  is  obtained  from  the  card  index,  this 


NUMERIC    FILE. 

being  written  in  the  upper  right  hand  corner 
of  the  letter  itself,  preferably  with  colored 
pencil.  The  number  to  be  given  to  a  new  active 
correspondent  or  subject  may  be  determined  in 
one  of  three  ways: 

1.     By  consulting  the  next  unused  num- 


34 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


lered  index  card.  These  cards  are  obtain- 
able in  packages  of  100  each,  numbered 
consecutively.  By  preserving  this  order 
the  next  unused  number  may  be  quickly 
determined. 

2.  By  consulting  the  next  unused  num- 
bered folder.  The  same  principle  applies 
here  as  to  the  card  method  so  that  the  num- 
ber may  be  determined  on  the  same  basis, 
checking  the  number  on  the  card  with  the 


Rice,  Harvey  J. 

951 

Maiden,  Mass. 

O 

TYPICAL    INDEX   CARD. 

number  on  the  folder.     Only  the  folders 
actually  used  are  set  up  in  the  files. 

3.  By  means  of  an  accession  book.  This 
is  a  volume  of  ruled  pages,  each  line  of 
which  is  numbered,  and  is  ruled  in  columns 
for  the  names  and  addresses  of  correspond- 
ents. No.  1  is  assigned  to  the  first  corre- 
spondent. No.  2  is  assigned  to  the  second 
correspondent  in  a  like  manner,  No.  3  to 
the  third,  and  so  on,  the  next  unused  num- 
ber being  determined  at  once  by  consulting 
the  book. 


NUMERIC  FILING  35 

It  is  recommended  that  the  date  of  the  first 
letter  received  from  a  correspondent  be  placed 
in  the  lower  left  hand  corner  of  his  index  card. 
Sorting. 

Upon  return  to  the  filing  department,  mail  is 
sorted  behind  numeric  guides,  numbered  by 
100 's.  In  some  instances  where  mail  has  not 
been  numbered  before  distribution  and  constant 
reference  is  essential  during  the  process  of  in- 
dexing, it  may  be  found  necessary  to  sort  papers 
alphabetically  as  soon  as  they  are  returned  to 
the  filing  department,  in  order  to  facilitate 
reference.  Material  is  then  taken  from  behind 
the  alphabetic  guides  either  for  indexing  or 
"charging  out."  The  final  sorting  is  of  course 
behind  the  numeric  guides. 

Where  the  process  of  indexing  is  noi^  inter- 
rupted by  calls  for  unfiled  correspondence,  the 
alphabetic  arrangement  is  unnecessary.  If  the 
card  index  is  large,  the  trays  in  use  may  be 
placed  on  the  indexer's  desk,  or  a  card  ledger 
desk  used. 

Expansion    is   unlimited    in   this   system,    it 
being  merely  necessary  to  assign  the  next  un- 
used number  as  required. 
CROSS  REFERENCE. 

One  of  the  best  features  of  the  numeric  method 
is  its  facility  for  accessible  and  compact  cross  ref- 
erences, which  are  performed  on  cards  in  the  index. 
These  cards  are  uniform  in  size  and  filed  in  strictly 
alphabetical  order  so  that  any  cross  index  may  be 
quickly  located. 

A  letter  involving  more  than  one  name  or  subject 


36 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


is  filed  under  the  most  important,  and  other  cards, 
sometimes  unnumbered,  are  made  out  for  the  other 
headings  of  interest.  These  latter  cards  refer  to  the 
more  important  headings  and  to  their  file  numbers. 
The  index  cards  should  be  carefully  and  uni- 
formly made  out.  All  notations  should  begin  at  a 
uniform  distance  from  the  left  side  of  the  card. 


Brown,  John. 


1  Broadway 
New  York,  N.Y. 


(Handwritten) 


O 


TYPE    OF   INDEX   CARD. 


Names  and  subjects  are  written  in  accordance  with 
the  Filing  and  Indexing  Rules.  Correspondents' 
names  should  appear  above  the  first  horizontal  line, 


Brown,  John 

I  Broadway 
New  York,  N.Y. 

(  Typewritten) 

0 

TYPE   OF   INDEX   CARD. 


NUMERIC  FILING 


37 


with  addresses  immediately  below  it,  as  the  card 
index  often  serves  as  an  address  file.  Preference 
is  sometimes  given  to  block  addresses  when  cards 
are  typewritten,  and  to  an  indented  form  when 
hand  written. 

The  following  card  refers  to  the  subject  "Adver- 
tising," which  was  established  June  1,  1918,  and 


Advertising 

703 

0 

6-1-18 

INDEX   CARD   FOR   SUBJECT. 


given  the  number  "703."  All  correspondence  per- 
taining to  advertising  is  to  be  filed  under  this  num- 
ber. 


New  York  Times 

317  W.  43rd  Street, 
New  York,   N.Y. 

SEE 
Advertising                   (^) 
7-3-18 

703 

CROSS   REFERENCE  CARD. 


38 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


On  July  3,  1918,  a  letter  is  received  from  the 
New  York  Times.  As  it  relates  to  advertising  and 
no  other  correspondence  has  been  received  from  the 
New  York  Times,  an  unnumbered  card  is  used  in 
cross  indexing,  as  above  shown. 

The  following  cards  illustrate  correspondence  with 
one  man  or  firm  in  several  capacities : 


Ford,  Henry 

50 

Detroit,  Mich. 
SEE  also 
Ford  Motor   Co. 
Newark  Meadows 

79 
95 

o. 

The  situation   which   the   cards   illustrate   arose 
in  the   office   of  a   real   estate   operator  who   cor- 


Ford  Motor  Co. 

79 

Detroit,  Mich. 
SEE  also 
Newark  Meadows 

95 

O 

responded    with    Henry    Ford    personally    regard- 
ing the  purchase  of  a  private  house,  also  with  Mr. 


NUMERIC  FILING 


39 


Ford  as  president  of  the  Ford  Motor  Co.  regarding 
the  purchase  of  a  site  for  a  manufacturing  plant. 
The  operator  was  developing  a  large  tract  of  land 
known  as  the  Newark  Meadows,  and  all  correspond- 
ence with  prospective  purchasers  of  this  property 
was  filed  under  that  heading — " Newark  Meadows." 
As  he  was  negotiating  with  Mr.  Ford  as  president  of 


Newark  Meadows 

95 

Newark,  N.  J. 

O 

the  Ford  Company  for  a  piece  of  property  here  also, 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Ford  was  necessarily  filed 
under  the  three  above  numbers;  personal  cor- 
respondence in  folder  No.  50,  Ford  Motor  Co.  in 
folder  No.  79,  and  Newark  Meadows  in  folder  No. 
95,  necessitating  cross  references  as  indicated. 

In  correspondence  with  an  organization  having  a 
number  of  branch  offices,  each  branch  office  is  given 
an  auxiliary  number  of  the  one  assigned  to  the  main, 
office.  This  use  of  auxiliary  numbers  is  called  the 
Duplex  Numeric  system.  Index  cards  should  be 
made  out  as  follows: 


40 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


Western  Elec.  Co.                               (1) 

375 

N.Y.,  N.Y. 

Boston 
Pittslyurg 
Cleveland 
(See  following 
card) 

-  I 
-2 
-3 

O 

Western  Elec.    Co.                               (Z) 

375 

N.  Y.,  N.  Y. 

Buffalo 
St.  Louis 

-4- 
-5 

O 

Folders  are  made  out  and  filed  as  follows: 


Western  Elec.  Co.  —  St.Louis 


375-5 


Western  Elec.  Co.— Buffalo 


375-4 


Western  Elec.  Co.—  Cleveland 


375-3 


Western  Elec.  Co-Pitts"burg 


375-2 


Western  Elec.  Co-Boston 


375-1 


Western  Electric  Co.-New  York 


375 


NUMERIC  FILING 


41 


Where  it  is  necessary  to  show  an  individual's  of- 
ficial connection  with  his  firm,  the  following  cards 
may  be  made  out. 


Hall,  John 

.Secretary- 
Aetna  Steel  Co. 
New  York,  N.Y 

47 

O 

Aetna    Steel  Co 

47 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

O 

In  practically  every  line  of  business  there  is  a 
certain  amount  of  miscellaneous  correspondence 
which  should  be  grouped  by  subject  rather  than  filed 
under  the  name  of  an  individual.  As  an  illustration, 
a  large  plant  or  business  organization  maintains  an 
employment  department  in  which  applications  for 


42 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


positions  naturally  resolve  themselves  into  classified 
labor  or  office  work.  By  segregating  these  applica- 
tions tinder  the  subjects  of  "Book-keepers,"  "Sten- 
ographers/' "Salesmen,"  etc.,  reference  is  in- 
stantly made  to  these  various  applications  when  it 
is  necessary  to  employ  new  help.  The  name  of  an 
applicant  may  possess  no  significance  and  be  for- 
gotten, but  the  detail  on  file  regarding  his  qualifica- 
tions for  a  certain  line  of  duties  furnishes  the  em- 
ployer with  the  necessary  facts.  An  index  card  cov- 
ering the  above  condition  would  be  made  out  as 
follows : 


Applications  for  Employment 

312 

Bookkeepers 
Salesmen 
Stenographers 

-1 
-2 
-3 

o 

MISCELLANEOUS  MATERIAL. 

As  each  of  the  numbered  folders  described  is  as- 
signed to  an  active  correspondent  and  no  miscel- 
laneous folders  appear  in  the  file,  inactive  or  mis- 
cellaneous material  must  be  cared  for  in  a  separate 
file.  Generally  an  alphabetic  system  is  used. 

Cards  should  be  made  out  and  filed  in  the  regular 
index  as  follows : 


NUMERIC  FILING 


Clinton,  John  D 

M 

.    Chicago,  111 

8-5-10                              S~\ 

When  inactive  correspondence  becomes  active  the 
material  is  removed  from  the  miscellaneous  drawer 
and  placed  in  the  active  file  under  the  next  unused 
number.  (It  is  assumed  in  the  example  given  below 
that  John  D.  Clinton's  correspondence,  begun  in 
1910,  did  not  become  really  active  until  1916.) 


Clinton,  John  D. 

735 

Chicago,  111 
1910-15 

M 

o 

These  notations  on  the  new  card  will  save  time 
in  looking  up  transferred  material.  The  old  card 
may  be  destroyed. 


44 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


REASSIGNING  OP  NUMBERS. 

The  occasion  for  reassigning  numbers  often  arises 
when  a  firm  has  a  large  number  of  discontinued 
correspondents.  If  in  two  years,  about  twenty-five 
per  cent,  of  the  correspondents  became  inactive,  this 
would  k  ive  a  similar  number  of  folders  in  the  file 
which  would  be  unused.  If  the  folders  are  removed 
the  sequence  is  naturally  destroyed.  In  many  cases 
it  is  necessary  to  transfer  the  number  of  an  old 
correspondent  to  a  new  correspondent. 

The  index  card  of  the  old  correspondent  keeps  its 
regular  place  in  the  index  file  bearing  a  notation 
that  on  a  certain  date  correspondence  was  trans- 
ferred and  the  number  reassigned  to  a  new  corre- 
spondent. A  new  card  must  be  made  out  for  the 
latter  bearing  this  number. 

The  following  cards  illustrate  the  reassignment 
of  an  old  correspondent's  number  to  his  business 
successor. 


Davis,  John  E. 

4a 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Succeeded  by- 
Crosby   &  Jones 

o 

ORIGINAL   CARD. 


NUMERIC  FILING 


45 


Crosby  &  Jones 

42 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Successors  to 
Davis,  John  E. 

1-1-14 

o 

NEW    CARD. 


Quiz — NUMERIC  FILING 

,     1.  What  is  the  arrangement  of  folders  and  guides  in  this 
system  ? 

2.  How  is  material  located  ?    What  is  the  arrangement  of 
this  record? 

3.  How  should  correspondence  be  indexed? 

4.  How  would  you  determine  the  number  to  be  assigned 
to  a  new  active  correspondent? 

5.  How  is  correspondence  sorted? 

6.  Insurance  is  an  important  subject  in  your  file  estab- 
lished July  1,   1917.     It  is  subdivided  into  two  classes, 
"Fire  and  Marine."     Make  out  the  required  index  card. 

7.  Charles  Hall  first  writes  to  you  on  Jan.  5  regarding 
fire  insurance  as  mentioned  above.    Make  out  the  necessary 
index  card. 

8.  How  is  miscellaneous  material  handled?     Make  out 
an  index  card  to  cover  the  miscellaneous  correspondence  of 
James  Kennedy. 


46  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

9.  What  can  you  say  about  the  reassignment  of  num- 
bers? 

10.  How  is  cross  reference  performed  in  the  numeric 
system  ? 


CHAPTER  V 

GEOGRAPHIC  METHODS 

Geographic  Filing. 

In  many  lines  of  business,  particularly  those  involving 
correspondence  on  a  large  scale,  the  matter  of  location 
or  territory  is  of  paramount  importance.  In  conducting 
a  sales  campaign,  whether  mail  order  or  otherwise,  ex- 
tensive advertising  naturally  brings  in  results  from  the 
localities  in  which  it  is  done,  while  the  efforts  of  a  sales 
force  in  the  field  will  produce  similar  results. 

These  conditions  usually  demand  geographic  filing 
methods,  the  state  or  territorial  division  being  the  main 
classification,  next  the  town  or  city,  and  finally  the  indi- 
vidual's name. 

This  method  is  more  elastic  than  almost  any  other, 
and  may  range  from  a  simple  set  of  state  guides  ar- 
ranged in  alphabetic  order  to  a  complete  set  of  states 
and  town  guides  including  all  the  towns  in  the  United 
States  of  five  hundred  population  and  over.  Similar 
equipment  for  Canada  and  for  foreign  countries  is  also 
available,  but  under  ordinary  circumstances,  business  of 
this  character  requiring  such  minute  subdivisions  in- 
volves domestic  business. 

In  installing  a  geographical  method,  the  first  considera- 
tion is  the  extent  of  territory  to  be  covered.  Suppose 
some  sort  of  a  household  device  such  as  a  vacuum  cleaner 
is  to  be  put  on  the  market  and  an  extensive  advertising 
campaign  inaugurated.  Naturally  there  would  be  no 
demand  for  such  an  article  from  small  towns  having  no 

47 


48  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

electric  current.  Likewise,  if  a  firm  were  launching  a 
campaign  to  sell  some  special  mining  apparatus  only 
certain  parts  of  the  country  would  be  considered  as  a 
selling  field.  These  conditions  must  of  course  be  an- 
alyzed before  the  installation  of  the  system,  and  pur- 
chases of  filing  equipment  governed  accordingly. 


GEOCrRAPHIC   FILE. 


GEOGRAPHIC  METHODS  49 

As  inquiries  begin  to  come  in  and  those  from  a  given 
town  begin  to  assume  proportions,  a  folder  is  made  out 
for  this  particular  town,  the  letters  being  arranged  in 
alphabetic  sequence  in  this  folder.  "With  the  develop- 
ment of  business,  additional  folders  are  installed  and  to 
facilitate  reference,  guides  are  made  out  for  these  various 
towns  or  a  set  of  town  guides  of  part  or  all  of  the  states 
purchased,  based  upon  population.  In  the  process  of 
evolution  correspondence  with  an  individual  becomes 
heavy  and  he  is  given  a  separate  folder,  the  tab  of  which 
bears  first  the  name  of  the  town  and  state,  followed  by 
that  of  the  correspondent.. 

The  foregoing  cut  shows  a  section  of  a  file  drawer  ar- 
ranged on  this  basis. 

The  state  guide  ' '  Illinois ' '  is  not  shown,  but  would  ap- 
pear in  center  position.  Next  in  order  are  the  town 
guides,  then  the  individual  folders,  and  to  the  extreme 
right  the  miscellaneous  town  folders,  there  always  being 
a  number  of  letters  from  each  town  that  do  not  justify 
an  individual  folder. 

As  certain  of  this  correspondence  in  the  miscellaneous 
folder  becomes  active,  it  should  of  course  be  given  indi- 
vidual folders  and  these  inserted  in  their  proper  alpha- 
betic sequence  behind  the  town  guide.  In  case  of  large 
cities,  the  correspondence  should  be  further  divided  by 
a  set  of  alphabetic  guides,  the  number  of  subdivisions 
being  determined  by  the  amount  involved. 

Some  manufacturers  of  filing  equipment  indicate  on 
the  guide  tabs  in  unit  figures  the  population  of  the 
towns.  These  statistics  are  of  value  when  planning  an 
advertising  campaign  for  towns  of  a  certain  population 
or  when  laying  out  a  route  for  salesmen  to  call  upon 
the  trade. 


50  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Another  modification  of  the  geographic  method  is  the 
use  of  a  set  of  alphabetic  guides  behind  each  state  guide. 
This  may  be  used  when  it  is  impossible  to  determine  in 
advance  from  just  what  classes  of  towns  letters  may  be 
received.  A  set  of  state  guides  or  a  portion  of  them 
may  be  installed.  Back  of  each  is  inserted  a  set  of  al- 
phabetic guides,  preferably  a  plain  set  of  A  to  Z,  and 
their  complement  of  miscellaneous  folders.  Correspond- 
ence comes  in  from  Canton,  Carthage  and  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  This  is  arranged  in  alphabetic  sequence  as  to  town 
in  the  "C"  folder  back  of  the  state  guide  "Ohio."  As 
the  correspondence  from  Cincinnati  increases  an  indi- 
vidual folder  is  made  out  for  that  town  and  a  guide 
bearing  the  same  designation  also  installed.  This  proc- 
ess is  repeated  with  the  other  towns  as  the  occasion  war- 
rants. This  adaptation  of  a  geographic  method  has  its 
limits  and  may  be  regarded  more  or  less  as  a  ' '  try-out. ' ' 

Letters  coming  from  a  town  too  small  to  warrant  a 
town  guide  should  be  filed  in  a  miscellaneous  folder  di- 
rectly back  of  the  state  guide.  Thus  each  state  guide 
in  a  geographic  system  would  have  one  folder  contain- 
ing correspondence  of  a  miscellaneous  character  filed  by 
name  of  town  and  then  by  individual,  pending  such  a 
time  as  this  might  become  sufficiently  active  to  justify 
a  town  folder. 

In  conjunction  with  the  geographic  method  a  card 
index  is  very  helpful  but  is  not  always  used.  When  an 
index  is  used  the  cards  are  filed  strictly  alphabetically. 
This,  then,  provides  two  methods  of  reference — geo- 
graphically in  the  regular  file  and  alphabetically  in  the 
card  index. 

Cross  reference  is  performed  by  the  name  of  the  cor- 
respondent by  means  of  cards  in  the  index. 


GEOGRAPHIC  METHODS 


51 


Higgins  Co. 

SEE 
Carpenter  Bros 
Springfield,  O 

June  3,  1918 

0 

CROSS    REFERENCE    CARD. 


Also  by  locality  on  cross  reference  sheets  placed  in  the 
regular  file. 


Utica.N.Y. 
Carter,  Henry 


SEE 

Johnson.  &  Singer 
Houston,  Texas 
Oct.  12,  1916' 


CROSS    REFERENCE    SHEET. 


52  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Mail  should  be  sorted  behind  state  guides,  then  alpha- 
betized according  to  towns,  and  finally  according  to  the 
names  of  individuals. 

Quiz — GEOGRAPHIC  METHODS 

1.  What  conditions  would  necessitate  a  geographic  sys- 
tem? 

2.  Under  what  classification  is  material  filed  in  this  sys- 
tem? 

3.  State  two  ways  in  which  the  necessary  filing  equip- 
ment may  be  determined. 

4.  How  is  inactive  correspondence  filed,  assuming  there 
is  a  guide  for  the  town  it  comes  from? 

5.  How  is  active  correspondence  filed?     What  notation 
should  appear  on  folders  in  addition  to  the  correspond- 
ent's name? 

6.  How  would  you  file  correspondence  from  a  town  for 
which  there  was  no  guide  in  the  file  ? 

7.  What  equipment  is  necessary  for  filing  voluminous 
correspondence  from  a  large  city? 

8.  What  can  you  say  about  the  use  of  a  card  index  with 
the  geographic  system? 

9.  How  is  cross  reference  performed  in  this  system? 
10.  How  should  correspondence  be  sorted? 


CHAPTER  VI 

SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS 

Subject  Filing. 

In  many  offices  the  subject  of  a  letter  is  of  greater 
importance  than  the  name  of  the  correspondent  writing 
it  or  the  address  at  which  he  is  located.  This  necessi- 
tates filing  together  all  correspondence  on  certain  sub- 
jects. The  subjects  designated  must  be  carefully  de- 
termined by  some  one  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  busi- 
ness and  must  be  as  comprehensive  and  simple  as  possible 
to  prevent  confusion  of  meaning,  as,  naturally,  different 
people  will  take  different  views  of  the  same  subject. 

Where  the  business  is  new  and  sufficient  information 
is  unavailable  to  determine  the  proper  subject  headings, 
material  should  be  filed  alphabetically  by  such  subjects 
as  good  judgment  dictates  until  the  filing  clerk  knows 
the  correspondence  well  enough  to  group  it  correctly. 
Where  uncertainty  exists  about  the  subjects  to  be  as- 
signed, cross  reference  should  be  employed  freely.  In 
such  cases  letters  are  sometimes  indexed  on  the  reverse 
side  until  their  final  place  in  the  file  is  determined. 

Obviously  subject  filing  requires  that  correspondence 
shall  be  read  carefully  and  thoroughly  and  necessitates 
excellent  judgment.  Such  a  file  is  practically  never  a 
"simple"  proposition,  but  it  offers  an  unusual  knowledge 
of  the  business  in  which  it  is  used  and  in  consequence 
creates  and  maintains  a  keen  interest  in  its  operation. 

When  finally  determined  upon,  subjects  should  be 
listed  alphabetically  upon  loose  leaf  sheets  and  placed  in 

53 


54  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

binders  for  immediate  reference  when  indexing.  In  a 
large  business  these  subjects  are  standardized  and  pub- 
lished in  book  form,  as  in  the  case  of  the  New  England 
Telephone  Company's  Classification  and  the  Williams' 
classification  for  railroad  correspondence  filing.  The 
War  Department  also  issues  its  classification  of  subjects 
in  book  form. 

There  are  three  widely  used  methods  of  filing  corre- 
spondence by  subject. 
1.    ALPHABETIC  SYSTEM. 

Guides  and  folders  bearing  the  names  of  prin- 
cipal subjects  are  placed  in  the  files  alphabetically 
without  relation  to  each  other.  Divisions  of  these 
main  subjects  are  made  by  guides,  preferably  of 
contrasting  color  placed  directly  behind  these  main 
subject  guides. 

The  following  cut  shows  the  main  subjects  entered 
on  third-cut,  first-position  guides  with  tabs  of  one 
color,  and  divisions  on  guides  of  the  same  cut  in  the 


Office   Bldgs. 


/ 

^       Markets 

\ 

(Banks 

/Commercial  & 
Business  Bldgs. 

/   Wood 

V 

r     Masonry 

\ 

/        Bridges 

\ 

/     Custom  Houses 

\ 

f      Capitols 

\ 

/^Administrative  & 
J    Government  Bldgs. 

MAIN   SUBJECTS.  SUB-SUBJECTS. 


SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS          55 

second  and  third  positions  with  tabs  of  another 
color. 

If  metal  tip  guides  are  used  the  slips  inserted  in 
the  tabs  may  be  of  contrasting  color  to  feature  main 
subjects  and  divisions  if  it  is  so  desired.  Also  ad- 
ditions may  be  made  to  division  guides  at  any  point 
without  destroying  the  alternating  arrangement  of 
guide  tabs  by  changing  these  slips  to  guides  with 
tabs  in  the  required  position.  There  is  also  an  ad- 
justable guide  tab  which  might  be  used  in  setting 
up  special  files  of  this  character. 

Manila  guides  would  necessitate  the  use  of  colored 
pasters  on  the  tabs  with  subjects  printed  on  both 
sides  of  the  tab  for  reversal  in  case  other  divisions 
should  be  added. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  foregoing  cut 
is  only  one  of  many  possible  combinations  of  guides 
with  tabs  of  different  cuts  that  may  be  used  in  set- 
ting up  special  files.  These  may  be  varied  to  meet 
the  needs  of  individual  users. 

The  following  cut  shows  the  use  of  a  set  of  alpha- 
betic guides  which  are  used  in  some  cases  to>  facil- 
itate the  location  of  main  subjects. 


/A 


ALPHABETIC    SUBJECTS. 


Indexing. 

When  indexing  letters  the  alphabetic  list  of 
subjects  (in  sheet  or  book  form)  is  consulted 


56  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

and  the  correct  heading  written -in  the  upper 
right  hand  corner  of  letters  or  along  the  right 
hand  edge  parallel  with  the  upper  edge  of  the 
folder. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  main  subject  be 
underscored  in  indexing.  Sometimes  a  rubber 
stamp  is  used  showing  main  subject  and  divi- 
sion. 

Material  may  be  arranged  in  folders  by  date 
or  alphabetically  by  name  of  correspondent. 

The  second  method  makes  possible  the  loca- 
tion of  any  one  letter  in  an  alphabetically  ar- 
ranged   folder    without    removing   the    entire 
folder  from  the  file. 
Cross  Reference 

Sheets  are  used  principally,  but  owing  to  the 
necessity  of  sometimes  indexing  the  names  of 
correspondents  a  card  index  is  employed  as 
well. 

'Assume  that  John  Brown  wrote  a  letter  on 
November  5,  1918,  requesting  certain  informa- 
tion regarding  the  erection  of  a  wooden  bridge 
and  also  a  market  for  his  home  town.  It  is 
decided  that  the  letter  is  of  more  impor- 
tance filed  under  "Bridges,  Wood,"  so  a 
cross  reference  sheet  should  be  placed  under 
"Commercial  Buildings,  Markets,"  as  shown  on 
page  57. 

Assuming  that  the  file  in  use  is  the  one  illus- 
trated in  the  cut  on  page  54,  naturally  it  would 
be  impossible  to  index  under  Mr.  Brown 's  name 
by  means  of  a  sheet,  as  it  would  be  impossible 
to  file  it.  In  such  a  case  a  card  index  would  be 


SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS          57 


Cross  Reference  Sheet 


Coxnm'l  Bldgs,  Markets 
Brown,  John 


SEE 


Bridges,  Wood 
Nov;   5,  1918 


valuable  and  a  card  should  be  made  out  as  fol- 
lows :  » 


Brown,  John 

Springfield,  Mass 

SEE 
Bridges,  Wood 

iifs-ia 

.     O 

58 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


The  file  shown  in  the  cut  on  page  55  would 
of  course  permit  the  indexing  of  Mr.  Brown's 
name  on  a  sheet  which  would  be  filed  behind  the 
alphabetic  guide  "B." 

Where  a  card  index  is  used,  it  need  not  nec- 
essarily be  limited  to  the  cross  indexing  of  a 
name.  The  subjects  may  also  be  listed  if  de- 
sired, as  well  as  in  the  sheet  or  book  index, 
although  the  latter  will  be  found  of  greater 
value  when  determining  the  subject  headings 
under  which  letters  are  to  be  indexed.  Cards 
for  subjects  and  divisions  may  be  made  out  as 
follows : 


Bridges 


O 


Wood  Bridges 


SEE 
Bridges 


O 


SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS 


59 


The  listing  of  the  divisions  of  a  subject  on 
the  main  subject  card  is  generally  impossible, 
as  they  are  apt  to  be  very  numerous  and  may 
readily  be  determined  by  consulting  the  sheet 
or  book  index.  Cross  indexing  from  one  sub- 
ject to  another  is  more  satisfactorily  performed 
on  sheets. 
2.  DUPLEX  NUMERIC  SYSTEM. 

This  is  a  highly  satisfactory  system  for  the  aver- 
age subject  file.  Consecutive  numbers  are  assigned 
to  the  principal  subjects,  which  are  unlimited. 

1.  Administrative  and  Governmental  Buildings 

2.  Bridges 

3.  Commercial  and  Business  Buildings 

Main  Subject  Card 


Bridges 


o 


Principal  subjects  are  divided  by  means  of  the 
addition  of  an  auxiliary  number.     These  divisions 
are  also  unlimited. 
2  "  Bridges 
2-1    Wood 
2-2    Masonry 
2-3     Steel  and  Iron 


60 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


When  a  subdivision  of  these  divisions  becomes 
necessary  a  letter  of  the  alphabet  is  added  to  the 
auxiliary  number.     Naturally  only  26  divisions  of 
the  auxiliary  divisions  are  possible. 
2-3     Steel  and  Iron   (Bridges) 
2-3  a    Simple  Truss 
2-3  b     Cantilever 
2-3  c    Arch 


Markets  -Com'l   Bridges 

3-3 

SEE 
Bridges,  Wood 
Brown,  John    11-5-18 

a-  3 

O 

A  card  index  with  the  addition  of  numbers  may 
be  used,  as  described  in  the  preceding  alphabetic 


Division.  Card 


Wood  Bridges 

SEE 
Bridges 

a 

O 

SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS 

Individual's  name  card 


61 


Brown,  John 

Springfield,  Mass. 

SEE 
Bridges,  Wood,  11-5-18 

2-5 

O 

method,  where  the  possibility  exists  of  correspond- 
ence being  required  by  name  as  well  as  by  subject. 

Sheets  are  also  used  in  cross  indexing  from  one 
subject  to  another,  and  recommendation  is  again 
made  that  the  card  index  be  used  so  far  as  possible 
for  cross  references  of  a  permanent  value.  Where, 
a  cross  reference  must  be  made  from  one  subject  to 
another  on  cards,  separate  cards  of  contrasting  color 
placed  immediately  behind  the  regular  index  cards 
often  have  a  certain  value. 
3.  DECIMAL  SYSTEM. 

This  is  based  on  the  Dewey  Decimal  Classification 
which  is  used  almost  universally  in  public  libraries. 
While  not  as  flexible  as  the  duplex  number  method, 
the  decimal  system  provides  for  the  minute  division 
of  subjects,  groups  them  relatively  and  is  employed 
where  subject  headings  may  be  permanently  estab- 
lished. 

Such  organizations  as  railroads,  public  service  cor- 
porations and  many  departments  of  the  United 
States  Government  have  found  this  system  most 
feasible  for  the  filing  of  their  correspondence. 


62  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  "Railroad  Cor- 
respondence File,"  by  W.  H.  Williams — a  publica- 
tion. This  is  a  decimal  classification  of  a  standard 
and  recognized  list  of  subjects  and  their  divisions 
under  which  the  correspondence  of  a  railroad  com- 
pany may  be  filed. 

The  first  step  towards  establishing  a  decimal  classi- 
fication consists  of  grouping  all  possible  subjects 
into  ten  or  fewer  broad  classes.     To  these  classes 
are  assigned  the  numbers  0  to  9  (000  to  900).    Any 
unused  class  numbers  are  left  for  future  growth. 
000     General 
100    Executive 
200    Finance  and  Accounts 
300     Roadways  and  Structures 
400     Equipment  and  Shops 
500     Transportation  and  Storage 
600     Traffic,  Rates 
700 
800 

900  Local  Facilities  and  Affairs. 
Each  class  may  then  be  divided  into  nine  or  fewer 
sub-classes.  The  cipher  represents  the  general  sub- 
ject in  all  cases;  for  instance,  500  represents  the 
general  class  of  Transportation  and  Storage  which 
is  divided  as  follows : 

500     Transportation  and  Storage 

510     Tracks  and  Terminals — Working 

520     Trains 

530     Locomotives — Utilization  of 

540     Cars — Utilization  of 

550 

560     Safety  Measures — Signals 


SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS     63 

570     Telegraph  and  Telephones 
580     Accidents 
590 

These  classes  may  in  turn  be  divided  into  nine 
or  fewer  sub-classes. 

570  Telegraph  and  Telephones 

571  Construction 

572  Telegraph  Service 

573  Telephone  Service 

Further  division  of  each  of  these  classes  into  nine 
or  fewer  sub-classes  is  possible  by  the  use  of  a  deci- 
mal number. 

571     Construction 

571.1  Poles  and  Fixtures 
571.11     Poles— Telegraph 
571.13     Cross  arms 

571.2  Line 

571.21  Wire 

571.22  Cable 

571.23  Insulators 

571.3  Instruments 

571.4  Battery  material 

This  subdivision  may  be  continued  indefinitely. 

571,; Jl    Telegraph      Poles 
Vansportation  and  Storage 
^Telegraph  and  Telephones 

^Construction 

^Poles  and  Fixtures 

. ^P  pies    —  Telegraph. 

The  valuable  features  of  the  decimal  system  are 
its  unlimited  facility  for  subdivision  and  the  group- 
ing together  of  all  material  on  one  subject  in  one 
place  under  a  given  class  number.  This  class  num- 


64  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

ber  never  changes  and  can  always  be  recognized, 
each  digit  to  the  right  indicating  a  division  of  the 
main  class  number. 

The  book  classification  is  divided  into  two  sec- 
tions, one  section  grouping  material  relatively  and 
numerically  as  shown  in  the  illustrations  of  decimal 
division;  the  other  section  listing  subjects  alphabet- 
ically, together  with  the  numbers  assigned  to  these 
subjects. 

The  following  is  an  extract  of  the  "T"  section 
of  the  alphabetic  index: 

Tables  for  Company  use — Order  for,  sup- 
ply, etc 025.14 

Tallow  pipes 401.33 

Tank  cars 413.017 

Tanks  (See  Boilers  and  Tanks) 625.12 

Oil,  for  Stations 560.31 

For  Water  Stations  (See  Water  Sta- 
tions) 

Tender 411.72 

Tar  and  pitch — Eates,  movement,  etc. .  . .    624.03 

Tariffs   601.2 

Taxes  and  Assessments 073 

Taxation — Appraisement  of  Property  for  073.2 

Teachers'  Associations — Rates,  etc 612.52 

Telegraph  and  Telephones 570 

Authorities  570.33 

Estimates,  Diagrams,  etc 570.31 

Telegraph  and  telephone  wire  crossing. .    312.22 

Battery  material  571.4 

Construction    571 

Cable   571.22 

Instruments  for 571.3 


SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS  65 

Indexing. 

The.  same  recommendations  are  made  regard- 
ing indexing  as  in  the  alphabetic  and  duplex 
numeric  systems,  letters  bearing  their  proper 
numbers  and  in  addition  any  necessary  subject 
notations. 

Subjects  may  be  listed  in  a  card  index  for 
reference  where  the  exact  subject  headings  are 
known,  but  it  will  be  understood  that  for  gen- 
eral indexing  purposes  the  book  will  be  most 
valuable  and  practical.  A  card  index  is  of 
course  essential  for  the  indexing  of  correspond- 
ents '  names  and  noting  peculiarities  of  the  in- 
dividual file.  Other  cross  references  are  per- 
formed on  sheets. 

Business  organizations  using  a  subject  file 
generally  urge  their  correspondents  to  confine 
themselves  to  one  subject  in  one  letter.  This 
is  to  be  strongly  recommended  as  simplifying 
the  process  of  indexing,  otherwise  cross  refer- 
ences become  unnecessarily  voluminous. 

There  is  a  mnemonic  or  memory  feature 
which  is  sometimes  of  assistance  in  using  the 
decimal  system,  but  is  not  incorporated  in  all 
classifications.  In  the  library  classification, 
for  example, — "4"  represents  "Essays/'  204 
is  Religious  Essays,  504,  Scientific  Essays,  904, 
Historic  Essays. 

Quiz — SUBJECT  AND  DECIMAL  METHODS 

1.  Why  must  correspondence  be  carefully  read  when 
filing  by  subject? 


66  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

2.  Name  three  systems  employed  in  subject  filing. 

3.  Describe  each  briefly. 

4.  Classify  the  following  subject  headings  according  to 
each  of  these  three  systems.     The  main  topic  is  ''Filing." 
The  main    subjects  are  "Systems,"    "Equipment"    and 
"Transferring." 

Geographic  Horizontal  cabinets 

Upright  cabinets  Numeric 

Methods  of  transfer  Demi-size 
Alphabetic  (Horizontal  cab.) 

"Bodily"  (Method  of  Trans-  Subject  (system) 

fer)  Solid  cabinets 

5.  If  you  wished  to  subdivide  the  heading  "Demi-size 
Horizontal  Cabinets"  by  character  of  files  obtainable  in 
this  type  of  equipment,  as,  for  example,  document  files 
and  various  size  card  files,  how  would  this  be  possible  in 
the  decimal  system? 

6.  Using  the  subject  headings  listed  above — John  Brown 
writes  a  letter  dated  June  1,   1919,   about  the  Numeric 
and  Subject  Systems.    You  decide  to  file  the  letter  under 
the  first  subject  "Numeric."    Outline  the  indexing  neces- 
sary for  Alphabetic  Subject  Filing,  also  the  necessary  cross 
reference  sheet. 

7.  Referring  to  the  above  question,  how  would  you  index 
Mr.  Brown's  name  on  a  card? 

8.  "What  can  you  say  about  the  indices  used  with  this 
method  ? 

9.  Of  what  particular  value  is  the  sheet  or  book  index? 

10.  What  forms  are  used  in  cross  referencing  in  this  sys- 
tem? 


CHAPTER   VII 

AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM 

Automatic  System. 

With  the  development  of  the  Alphabetic  and  Numeric 
systems  of  filing,  objections  were  raised  from  time  to 
time  against  one  method  or  the  other.  Several  Alpha- 
betic-Numeric systems  were  developed  in  consequence, 
one  of  the  most  typical  being  the  "Automatic,"  which 
takes  its  name  from  the  fact  that  the  two  symbols  upon 
which  it  is  based,  letters  and  numbers,  automatically 
check  each  other. 

The  Automatic  System  may  be  described  as  a  two-name 
system ;  first,  by  groups  of  surnames  or  primary  names, 
then  by  given  or  secondary  names.  Letters  and  papers 
are  filed  by  name  and  checked  by  number.  Preference  to 
the  files  is  direct  by  alphabetic  location  of  material,  no 
index  being  used. 
ALPHABETIC  FEATURE. 

A  student  should  first  consider  the  alphabetic  fea- 
ture without  reference  to  the  numeric.    The  follow- 
ing cut  shows  a  section  of  a  forty-subdivision  system. 
In  the  first  position  the  guides  "Br50  and  Ca60" 
at  the  left  of  the  cut  are  the  main  or  "Primary" 
guides.    These  correspond  in  general  with  the  guides 
of  a  regular  alphabetic  system  of  forty  subdivisions. 
In  the  second  position  there  will  be  seen  nine  tabs 
back  of  each  of  the  two  main  or  ' '  Primary ' '  guides, 
these  two  sets  being  identical  as  to  alphabetic  ar- 
67 


68 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


AUTOMATIC    SYSTEM. 

rangement.  These  are  called  the  ''Secondary" 
guides  and  each  Primary  guide  always  has  its  com- 
plement of  nine  Secondaries.  This  alphabetic  ar- 
rangement never  varies  no  matter  what  the  primary 
subdivision  may  be,  and  it  is  therefore  essential 
to  rapid  filing  and  indexing  to  memorize  them. 
They  are  as  follows : 

A-B  1,  C  2,  D-E  3,  F-G  4,  H-I  5,  J-K  6,  L-M  1, 
N-S  8,  T-Z  9. 

In  the  third  position  are  the  tabs  of  the  miscel- 
laneous folders  which  bear  the  same  relation  to 
the  individual  folders  as  those  in  other  alphabetic 


AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM  69 

systems.  One  exception  may  be  noted  and  that  is, 
each  Primary  guide  is  followed  by  a  miscellaneous 
folder  m'arked  "Subj." 

This  folder  is  meant  to  contain  miscellaneous 
material  to  be  filed  behind  the  Primary  guide,  such 
as  single  words  and  names. 

In  the  fourth  position  appear  the  wide  tabs  of 
individual  folders  assigned  to  active  correspondents, 
in  which  correspondence  is  arranged  by  date  as  in 
the  alphabetic  system. 

In  the  fifth  and  last  position  appear  the  tabs  of 
"Out"  guides,  with  which  the  student  is  already 
familiar,  and  special  guides  for  letters  which  need 
featuring  because  of  their  bulk  and  character. 

The  Primary  guides  cover  the  surnames,  primary 
names  or  single  names  and  the  Secondary  guides  the 
given  names  or  secondary  names.  For  instance, 
Allen  and  Benjamin  Brown  would  be  filed  back 
of  the  "A-B"  Secondary  guide  following  the  "Br". 
Primary  guide;  Charles  Brown  behind  the  "C" 
Secondary  guide;  Daniel  and  Edward  back  of  the 
"D-E"  Secondary  guide,  etc.  In  case  of  a  firm 
name,  such  as  Bradock  and  Adams,  the  Primary 
guide  is  considered  in  connection  with  Bradock  and 
the  Secondary  with  Adams.  By  studying  the  cut, 
which  contains  an  assortment  of  names,  the  opera- 
tion of  this  feature  will  be  easily  learned. 
NUMERIC  FEATURE. 

The  Primary  guides,  in  addition  to  being  lettered, 
are  numbered  by  tens,  the  Secondary  guides  in  se- 
quence following  the  Primaries.  Correspondence 
numbers  which  are  placed  on  all  letters  and  folders 
are  therefore  determined  by  the  combination  of  the 


70 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


number  on  the  Primary  guide  with  the  position  num- 
ber of  the  Secondary  guide. 

Indexing.  * 

In  order  that  indexing  may  be  done  quickly 
the  numbered  alphabetic  positions  are  put  into 
a  condensed  chart  which  appears  on  every  guide 
and  folder. 


A 

B 

c 

D 

E 

F 

c 

H 

I-J 

IC- 

L 

r 

A 

N-0 

P-0 

R 

s 

T-U-V 

WXYZ 

Aa  I 
AID  2 

Ba  3 
Be  4 
Br   5 

Ca  6 

CD   7 
Co   8 

Da  9 
Di  10 

Ea  H 

Fa  12 

Ga  13 
Go  14 

Ha  15 
He  16 
HO  17 

la  18 
Ja  19 

ft 

La 
Li 

20 
21 
22 

Ma 
Me 
Mo 

23 
24 
25 

N326 
Ga  27 

Pa  28 
Qa  29 

Ra  3G 
Ro  31 

Sa  32 
Se  33 

Sm34 
St  35 

la  36 

U-V37 

Wa  38 
Wi  39 
XYZ40 

CIV 

H, 

CHART  GOVERNING  AUTOMATIC   FILING. 

This  particular  chart  is  also  that  of  a  forty- 
subdivision  Automatic,  although  of  course  each 
different  subdivision  has  its  own  individual 
chart.  For  instance,  a  sixty-subdivision  would 
show  sixty  notations  in  the  upper  key,  repre- 
senting the  sixty  Primary  guides  of  such  a  di- 
vision, an  eighty-subdivision,  eighty  notations, 
etc.  The  Secondary  notations,  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  chart,  are  always  the  same,  however, 
no  matter  what  the  Primary  divisions  may  be. 

In  determining  the  assignment  of  a  corre- 
spondence number  from  the  above  chart,  the 
number  for  the  last  name  is  taken  from  the  up- 
per part  of  the  chart,  and  the  given  or  firsT; 
name  from  the  lower  part.  Using  Allen  Brown 
again  as  an  example,  determine  that  Br  (see 
upper  chart)  is  5  and  A  for  Allen  (see  lower 
chart)  is  1,  which  gives  the  number  51.  This 


AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM  71 

number  appears  on  the  folder  as  indicated  and 
in  filing  offers  the  additional  check  of  having  a 
numeric  as  well  as  an  alphabetic  location. 
These  numbers  in  the  file  are  kept  strictly  in 
sequence  as  shown.  A  chart  should  be  kept  at 
the  indexer's  desk  for  reference. 
Sorting. 

After  correspondence  is  indexed  it  is  sorted 
alphabetically  or  numerically  behind  a  set  of 
Primary  guides  corresponding  to  the  division 
used  in  the  file. 
Filing  and  Checking. 

Correspondence  is  then  filed  alphabetically 
and  checked  numerically;  that  is,  the  alpha- 
betic location  is  determined  and  the  number  on 
the  letter  checked  against  the  number  on  the 
guide  or  miscellaneous  folder  of  that  location. 
If  this  recommendation  is  followed,  mistakes  in 
filing  are  practically  impossible. 

In  the  filing  of  individual  folders  a  check 
against  misfiling  is  afforded  by  the  relative  po- 
sitions of  numbers  on  the  miscellaneous  and 
individual  folders. 
Cross  Reference. 

One  of  the  three  following  methods  may  be 
used :  1.  Folder-size  cards.  A  card  is  placed  at 
the  front  of  each  drawer  or  behind  each  Pri- 
mary guide,  depending  upon  the  amount  of 
cross  referencing  necessary.  These  cards  pro- 
vide for  cross  referencing  of  the  entire  contents 
of  the  drawer  on  the  material  following  each 
Primary  guide. 

2.  By  means  of  a  manila  sheet  with  a  tab  of 


72 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


CROSS  REFERENCE  CARD. 


TAB  CROSS  REFERENCE   REGULAR  CROSS 

SHEET.         REFERENCE  SHEET. 


the  same  size  and  in  the  same  position  as  that 
of  the  individual  folder,  the  cross  reference 
being  indicated  on  the  tab.  If  it  is  necessary 
to  give  particular  prominence  to  this  reference 
colored  pasters  may  be  used  on  the  tabs. 

3.     Buff  colored  sheets,  similar  to  those  used 
in  alphabetic  filing. 
Equipment. 

The  proper  proportion  of  material  per  drawer 
is  four  Primary  guides,  each,  of  course,  having 
its  complement  of  Secondary  guides. 

The  character  of  this  system  necessitates  the 
use  of  special  indexing  rules  which  are  fur- 
nished by  the  manufacturer  as  part  of  the 
equipment. 

Quiz — AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM 

1.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  guiding  of  the  alpha- 
betic and  automatic  systems?     How  would  this  affect  the 
locating  of  correspondence  from  John  Brown? 

2.  How  is  miscellaneous  correspondence  filed  in  this  sys- 
tem? 


AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM  73 

3.  How  is  active  correspondence  filed  in  this  system? 

4.  Name  the  various  tabs  as  they  appear  across  the  file 
and  state  the  purpose  of  each. 

5.  Name  the  notations  on  the  secondary  guides. 

6.  State   the   purpose   of  the   numeric    feature   in   this 
system. 

7.  How  is  correspondence  indexed  and  sorted? 

8.  How  filed?     State  specifically  how  the  numbers  act 
as  a  check  against  misfiling. 

9.  How  is  cross  reference  performed  in  this  system? 
10.  What  is  the  proper  proportion  of  guides  to  a  drawer  ? 


CHAPTER   VIII 

CAED  INDEXING 

Card  Indexing. 

Card  records  of  various  kinds  are  considered  else- 
where in  the  course  as  adjuncts  to  the  various  systems 
we  have  outlined,  but  the  subject  of  indexing,  in  itself, 
justifies  a  special  lesson. 

In  large  name  lists  such  as  ^maintained  in  insurance 
companies,  publishing  houses,  mail  order  concerns  and 
organizations  in  which  large  mailing  lists  are  involved, 
the  question  of  filing  cards  is  equally  as  important  as 
in  the  case  of  correspondence,  papers  of  record,  etc. 
STOCK  SIZES. 

The  stock  sizes  of  cards  universally  recognized 
by  manufacturers  are  five  inches  wide  by  three 
inches  high,  six  inches  wide  by  four  inches  high, 
and  eight  inches  wide,  by  five  inches  high,  the  last 
two  sizes  often  being  reversed  so  as  to  be  filed  on 
the  short  instead  of  the  long  side. 
RULING. 

There  is  a  wide  range  of  variety  in  the  ruling  of 
cards  to  provide  for  the  different  purposes  for  which 
they  are  to  be  used,  while  in  many  cases  perfectly 
blank  cards  are  best.  Different  manufacturers  have 
their  respective  ideas  as  to  the  proper  rulings  for 
certain  types  of  indices,  but  the  selection  of  a 
particular  ruling  to  meet  a  certain  requirement  is 
simple. 

74 


CARD  INDEXING 


75 


PUNCHING. 

Card  index  cabinets  of  various  manufacturers  also 
differ  as  to  the  style  of  rods  used,  although  the 
straight,  round  type  is  almost  universally  adopted. 
Because  this  necessitates  the  removal  of  the  rod 
when  removing  a  card  or  adding  one  to  the  index, 
various  styles  of  rods  have  been  invented  to  permit 
the  removal  or  addition  of  a  card  without  this  oper- 
ation, including  the  folding  rod.  Below  are  given 
illustrations  of  a  range  of  punches.  Naturally  the 
guides  are  punched  to  conform  to  the  cards. 


CARD  GUIDES. 

Guides  for  cards,  of  course,  perform  the  same  serv- 
ice in  an  index  as  the  larger  guides  in  correspond- 
ence and  similar  systems.  These  may  be  obtained 
with  tabs  in  one-fifth,  one-fourth,  one-third,  one-half 
and  "full"  cuts  as  shown  in  the  illustration. 


76 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


METAL-TIP   TABS. 

Card  guides  are  also  obtainable  with  metal  tabs, 
adjustable  or  fixed,  celluloid  tabs  with  round  or  flat 
surfaces,  and  with  celluloid  reinforcements  over 
printed  tabs.  Each  of  these  varieties  has  its  par- 
ticular advantage,  according  to  the  character  of  the 


REINFORCED  CELLULOID  TABS. 


CARD  INDEXING 


77 


index,  but  all  of  them  are  naturally  more  durable 
than  those  made  of  bristol  board  and  cost  corre- 
spondingly more. 


TABS    SET   ON   AT   AX   ANGLE. 


SUBDIVISIONS 

These  guides  are  procurable  on  about  the  same 
basis  as  the  correspondence  guides,  that  is,  as  to 
the  number  of  subdivisions  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  tab  designation.  The  following  cuts  show  a 
straight  alphabetical  set,  a  portion  of  a  set  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  subdivisions  and  a  set  of  guides 
with  more  than  one  designation  to  a  tab.  This  ar- 
rangement is  identical  with  that  of  the  alphabetic 
system  of  this  particular  manufacturer,  and  prac- 


SUBDIVIDED   ALPHABETIC    GUIDES. 
78 


CARD  INDEXING 


79 


tically  every  alphabetic  correspondence  system  finds 
its  counterpart  in  a  card  system. 


f  We    ^ 


ALPHABETIC    GUIDES    WITH    MORE    THAN    ONE    DESIGNATION    TO    A    TAB. 

GUIDING  LARGE  LISTS. 

In  the  case  of  extremely  large  lists  of  names 
sometimes  a  subdivided  alphabetic  arrangement  is 
considered  inadequate  and  a  "Twenty-Name"  sys- 
tem offers  a  very  good  solution. 

This  is  very  simple  in  its  operation.  In  installing 
this  method  any  specific  list  of  cards  is  consulted 
and  a  guide  made  out  for  every  twentieth  card. 
Naturally,  it  is  necessary  to  have  these  guides  spe- 
cially printed,  in  order  to  conform  to  the  list  in 
question.  In  order  to  provide  for  future  growth  of 
the  list  without  interfering  with  the  position  of  the 
tab  the  name  is  usually  printed  on  both  sides  of  the 
tab.  By  using  the  half  cuts,  as  shown,  a  new  guide 


80  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

may  be  introduced  at  any  point  and  all  following 
guides  reversed.    This  will  preserve  the  alternating 


TWENTY-NAME    SET-UP. 


arrangement  of  the  tabs.  This  method  permits  of 
unlimited  expansion  and  necessitates  only  the  occa- 
sional revision  of  a  list  by  making  out  new  guides 
as  the  cards  increase  in  number,  so  as  to  preserve 
the  "twenty  cards  to  a  guide"  arrangement.  As 
will  be  seen  by  the  tab  on  the  third  guide  on  the 


CARD  INDEXING 


81 


right  hand  side,  a  subject  may  be  treated  in  the 
same  manner  as  a  name — assuming  its  proper  alpha- 
betic sequence.  These  guides,  as  well  as  the  alpha- 
betic variety,  are  often  reinforced  at  the  tab  by  a 
celluloid  covering,  which  not  only  prolongs  the  life 
of  the  guide,  but  insures  a  clean  and  sanitary  sur- 
face. 

Another  method  of  guiding  large  name  lists  is  by 
means  of  a  phonetic  alphabetic  arrangement  which 
provides  for  the  collection  of  names  similarly  spelled 
in  the  same  division  without  regard  to  their  being 
arranged  exactly  in  an  alphabetic  manner. 

Still  other  provisions  are  made  by  means  of  an 
adaptation  of  the  alphabetic-numeric  system  illus- 
trated in  Lesson  Seven  and  by  other  similar  systems 
with  vowel  subdivisions,  special  names,  etc. 
GEOGRAPHIC. 

Geographic  methods  of  filing  cards  also  prevail  in 


GEOGRAPHIC   GUIDES. 


82  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

large  lists,  but  the  student  is  already  familiar  with 
these,  and  the  state,  town  and  the  individual  or  firm 
arrangement,  in  the  order  named,  is  identical  with 
that  in  the  lesson  on  geographic  filing.  ( See  '  *  Real 
Estate"  for  indexing  by  streets  in  given  cities.) 
VISIBLE  INDEX. 

Another  form  of  indexing  which  is  very  efficient 
when  a  large  number  of  cards  must  be  visible  at 


VISIBLE  INDEX   IN    USE. 


one  time,  such  as  in  charge  account  lists  in  the  de- 
partment stores  and  in  similar  cases,  is  known  as  the 
visible  index.  In  this  method  either  cards  or  strips 
are  suspended  in  frames  which  revolve  on  a  pedestal 
or  a  wall  bracket  as  illustrated  in  the  cut  above.  If 
cards  are  used  they  are  so  arranged  as  to  overlap 
each  other,  having  visible  only  that  portion  which 
is  important  for  identification.  In  some  cases  it  is 
necessary  only  to  have  strips  containing,  perhaps, 
the  name  and  address  and  a  number,  and  in  this 


CARD  INDEXING 


83 


case  there  is,  of  course,  no  necessity  for  the  use  of 
a  large  card.  The  guiding  arrangement  in  such  an 
index  is  done  by  means  of  cards  or  strips  of  con- 
trasting color  and  these  may  be  arranged  in  any  of 
the  methods  used  in  an  ordinary  card  file.  The 
frames  may  also  be  tabbed  as  shown  in  cut. 


SHOWING   ARRANGEMENT   OF   CARDS   IN   FRAME. 


84  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

SIGNALS  OR  INDICATORS. 

Reference  is  made  throughout  our  lessons  to  the 
use  of  these  very  valuable  adjuncts  to  a  card  sys- 


Federal  Reserve  Bank. 
San  Francisco 


SPECIALLY   PRINTED   SIGNALS. 


tern,  usually  made  of  steel,  although  they  may  also 
be  had  with  linen  reinforced  tabs  or  those  made  of 


VARIETY   OF   SIZES. 


leather.  In  card  work  the  small  steel  signals  are 
most  popular,  and  these,  being  movable,  may  be 
attached,  readjusted  and  removed  with  ease.  They 


VARIETY   OF   SMALL   SIGNALS. 


ane  made  in  a  wide  range  of  colors  for  classification 
purposes ;  with  the  names  of  the  months  or  the  dates 
printed  on  them,  or  may  be  made  up  to  order  with 


CARD  INDEXING  85 

special  headings.      These   signals   are   particularly 
valuable  in  follow-up  work  to  which  particular  at- 
tention is  given  in  another  lesson. 
CARD  CATALOGUES  FOR  LIBRARIES. 

Proper  instruction  in  library  indexing  can  be  ob- 
tained only  in  a  library  school.  A  brief  outline  on 
book  indexing  methods,  however,  may  be  of  interest 
to  the  student  who  may  have  under  consideration 
the  indexing  of  a  small  library. 

The  Dewey  decimal  classification  as  used  in  pub- 
lic libraries  is  the  most  simple  and  practical  sys- 
tem to  follow  ("Abridged  Decimal  Classification 
and  Relative  Index").  The  principles  of  decimal 
filing  and  indexing  are  covered  in  Chapter  VI,  p.  61. 

The  main  classes  of  the  Dewey  classification  are 
herewith  given: 

000  General  Works  500  Natural  Science 

100  Philosophy  600  Useful  Arts 

200  Religion  700  Fine  Arts 

300  Sociology  800  Literature 

400  Philology  900  History 

Each  of  these  classes  may  be  divided  into  nine  di- 
visions. Class  600  Useful  Arts  would  be-  divided  as 
follows : 

600  Useful  Arts  650  Communication.    Commerce 

610  Medicine  660  Chemic  technology 

620  Engineering  670  Manufactures 

630  Agriculture  680  Mechanic  trades 

640  Domestic  Economy  690  Building 

Generally  an  author  card,  title  card  and  one  or 
more  subject  cards  are  written  for  each  book.  These 


86 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


cards  are  filed  together  alphabetically  in  one  card 
index.  Assuming  that  we  have  to  index  the  volume 
"Earths  Bounty,"  by  Mrs.  Kate  Vanderhoff  Saint 
Maur,  this  would  be  classified  under  number  630 — 
600  Useful  Arts,  630  Agriculture. 

An  author  card  would  be  made  out  as  follows: 


£fl 


H-30    p. 


jQ. 


AUTHOR'S  CARD. 

The  essential  notations  are  the  author's  name  on 
the  first  line  (library  cataloguers  generally  give 
preference  to  the  placing  of  the  prefix  "Mrs."  or 
"Miss"  after  the  surname)  the  title  of  the  book  on 
the  second  line,  and  below  any  additional  data  con- 
sidered of  value.  The  addition  of  the  letter  "S" 
below  the  class  number  630  is  to  distinguish  this 
book  from  others  in  the  same  class  and  is  known  as 
the  author  mark.  Several  books  in  this  class  would 
be  arranged  alphabetically  by  these  letters  which 
are  the  first  in  the  author's  surname. 


CARD  INDEXING 


87 


Title  Card. 

The  title  appears  on  the  first  line  always  to 
the  right  of  the  second  vertical  line  and  an- 


3o 


Soj/yjt 


TITLE    CARD. 


thor's  name  on  the  second  line  always  to  the 
right  of  the  first  vertical  line. 
Subject  Card. 

The  subject  appears  on  the  first  line,  on  the 
second  the  author's  name  and  on  the  third  the 
title  of  the  book.  The  class  number  of  the  pub- 
lication and  the  author  letter,  it  will  be  ob- 
served, are  in  the  same  relative  position  on  all 
three  cards.  One  book  will  often  require  several 
subject  cards.  A  volume  of  plays  or  essays,  for 
instance,  may  necessitate  the  writing  of  a  card 
for  each  essay  or  play  of  importance. 

The  writing  of  some  one  of  these  three  classes 
of  cards  in  red  ink  or  the  use  of  colored  cards, 


88 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


one  color  to  each  class,  is  often  adopted  to  facil- 
itate the  finding  of  the  required  card. 

Books  are  placed  on  shelves  numerically,  and 


b30 


' 


*• 


3  0 


jO 


SUBJECT   CARD. 

of  course  under  the  decimal  system.  This  means 
they  are  automatically  grouped  by  subject. 

The  decimal  system  excludes  fiction  and  biog- 
raphy. Fiction  is  grouped  alphabetically  by 
name  of  author.  Biography  is  grouped  alpha- 
betically by  name  of  the  individual,  not  au- 
thor's name. 
Pseudonyms. 

When  the  real  name  is  known,  make  the  entry 
under  this  name  and  cross  reference  under  the 
pseudonym. 


CARD  INDEXING 


89 


Clemei 

LS,  Samuel  Langhorne(MarkTwain,Pseud) 

Innocents  abroad 

o 

AUTHOR'S  NAME. 


Twain  ,  Mark  ,  p  «  eud  . 

see 

Clemens,  Samuel  Langhorne 

0 

ASSUMED   NAME. 


3EU 

Jenks 

Jeremiah  Whipple  &  Lauck,  W.  J. 

J& 

immig 

mmigtation  problems,  a  study  of  American 
ration  conditions  and  needs 

3rd.e 
N.Y.I 

d  rev. 
'unk,  1913 

O 

Main  Entry   Card 


90 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


Lauclr, 

W.  J.  kjenks,  Jeremi 

ak  Whipple 

immij 

Immigration  problems,  a  study  of  American 
ration  conditions  and  needs 

o 

Cross   Reference 


t-auck, 

"WTO.-,  jt.  author 

M 

e 

Jenhs, 

Jeremiah  Whipple 

0 

Cross  Reference 

Joint  Authors. 

When  two  or  more  writers  are  joint  authors 
of  some  work,  the  main  entry  card  is  made  out 
under  the  first  name  with  cross  reference  cards 
for  the  other  names. 

When  there  are  more  than  three  authors, 
make  out  the  main  entry  card  under  the  first 
name  with  "and  others"  added  and  make  out 
cross  reference  cards  for  the  other  names. 

An  editor  of  a  collection  or  the  compiler  of 
a  publication,  individual  or  organization,  is 


CARD  INDEXING 


91 


treated  like  an  author  and  the  main  entry  card 
is  made  out  under  editor's  or  compiler's  name. 


States 

New  Jersey  Archives 

N46-8 

Colotri 

al  history,   Documents  relating-  to 

state  publication 

0 

New  York  (city)  Health,  Dept.  of 

Annua 

.  report,  the  23rd   1913 

0 

Cong.  D  oct. 

United    States  War,  Dept.  of 

273 

Army, 

System  of  discipline  for  the 

govt.  publication   doct.  121              1835 

O 

92  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Pamphlets  and  Reports. 

Publications  put  out  by  government,  state  or 
city  are  entered  under  government,  state  or 
city.  The  title  should  be  inverted  to  bring  out 
prominently  the  distinctive  words. 

Magazines  or  periodicals  are  entered  under 
their  names.  If  some  organization  or  society  is 
responsible  for  their  publication,  and  is  well 
known,  make  a  cross  reference,  referring  to  the 
periodical.  Give  the  dates  of  all  periodicals  so 
as  to  show  whether  they  are  monthly  or  weekly 
publications. 

Quiz — CARD  INDEXING 

1.  Name  three  classes  of  business  organizations  main- 
taining large  card  records. 

2.  What  are  the  universally  recognized  stock  sizes  of 
cards  ? 

3.  What  can  you  say  about  the  ruling  and  punching  of 
cards  ? 

4.  Of  what  value  are  adjustable  guide  tabs  in  card  fil- 
ing? 

5.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  "Twenty  Name" 
System  ? 

6.  What  does  a  phonetic  method  of  filing  cards  accom- 
plish ? 

7.  What  is  a  Visible  Index  ?    What  is  its  value  ? 

8.  In  library  indexing  what  three  classes  of  cards  are 
necessary  ? 

9.  How  are  these  cards  filed?    What  means  would  you 
suggest  to  distinguish  the  class  cards  in  filing  ? 

10.  How  would  you  index  pseudonyms  and  joint  authors? 


CHAPTER  IX 
TRANSFERRING 

Transferring. 

The  general  correspondence  of  the  average  business 
office  must  he  removed  from  the  files  or  transferred  at 
certain  times.  One  of  two  reasons  usually  necessitate 
this:  the  files  are  filled  to  capacity  or  the  material  in 
them  is  not  actively  consulted. 

In  many  organizations  reference  to  the  files  covers  a 
period  of  years  and  the  production  of  an  old  paper  or 
letter  is  often  an  urgent  necessity.  In  consequence  the 
.  transfer  of  correspondence  should  be  made  carefully  and 
accurately  into  proper  equipment.  The  impression  that 
the  transferring  process  is  of  no  relative  importance  is 
entirely  too  prevalent. 

Correspondence  should  be  removed  from  the  regular 
files  periodically ;  that  is,  all  papers  bearing  a  date  prior 
to  the  one  fixed  for  transfer  should  be  taken  out.  Never 
transfer  certain  folders  because  they  are  full  and  leave 
others  in  the  file  partly  filled.  This  will  create  confusion, 
as  the  transferred  material  for  any  given  period  is  likely 
to  become  separated. 

The  transfer  periods  must  be  determined  by  the  indi- 
vidual business  but  those  generally  observed  range  from 
six  months  to  three  years. 

93 


94  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

EQUIPMENT. 
Shelf  Box. 

This  box  is  obtainable  in  correspondence, 
legal,  invoice  and  other  sizes.  It  is  approxi- 
mately four  inches  in  width,  according  to  the 


SHELF  BOX. 


manufacturer,  and  is  so  made  that  it  opens  at 
the  top  and  part  way  down  one  side.  This  type 
of  equipment  is  used  where  floor  space  is  lim- 
ited and  where  wall  space  for  shelf  storage  is 
available. 

One  Drawer  Case. 

This  case  is  made  of  wood  or  steel  and  is 
large  enough  to  hold  the  contents  of  a  current 


TRANSFERRING 


95 


TRANSFERRED    CORRESPONDENCE    STORED    IN    BOXES    ON    SHELVES   ON    TOP 
OF    CURRENT    FILES. 


file  drawer.  These  sections  may  be  stacked  ver- 
tically or  placed  side  by  side  as  desired.  Refer- 
ence to  this  type  of  equipment  is  the  same  as  to 
the  current  files. 


96 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


ONE-DRAWER   WOODEN    CASE. 


ONE-DRAWER   STEEL   CASE. 


Four  Drawer  Case. 

This  equipment  is  of  the  same  capacity  as  the 
regular  filing  cabinet. 


TRANSFERRING 


97 


FOUR-DRAWER   TRANSFER    CABINET. 

METHODS  OF  TRANSFER. 

As  a  general  rule  it  is  found  to  be  an  advantage 
to  maintain  in  the  current  files  all  correspondence 
covering  a  current  period  of  a  year  or  six  months, 
all  of  the  previous  correspondence  having  been 
transferred.  In  many  cases,  however,  this  is  not  ob- 
served. 

The  first  of  the  three  following  methods  makes  no 
provision  for  the  retention  in  the  current  files  of  any 
material  after  transfer.    The  other  two  give  alterna- 
tive means  of  accomplishing  this. 
Bodily  Transfer. 

By  this  method  at  stated  periods,  we  transfer 
bodily,  to  properly  labelled  equipment  in  the 


98  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

storeroom,  the  entire  contents  of  the  files.     The 
one  objection  to  this  plan  is  that,  temporarily, 
reference  to  the  transferred  file  is  as  active  as 
to  the  current  file. 
Double  Capacity  Transfer. 

This  method  requires  a  series  of  current  files 
large  enough  to  hold  the  papers  of  two  years. 
The  first  year's  papers  are  placed  in  the  two 
upper  rows  of  drawers  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  are  transferred  to  the  two  lower  rows.  The 
second  year's  papers  are  then  filed  in  the  two 
upper  rows  of  drawers.  At  the  end  of  the  sec- 
ond year  the  first  year's  material  is  transferred 
from  the  two  lower  rows  of  drawers  to  proper 
transfer  equipment.  The  second  year's  papers 
are  then  placed  in  the  vacated  sections.  This 
process  is  repeated  year  after  year. 


MULTIPLE   FILES. 


TRANSFERRING  99 

The  two  upper  rows  of  drawers  contain  ma- 
terial for  the  current  year. 

The  two  lower  rows  of  drawers  contain  ma- 
terial of  the  past  year. 

This  method  is  used  where  papers  of  the  past 
year  must  be  actively  consulted,  as  a  minimum 
of  one  year's  and  a  maximum  of  two  years'  cor- 
respondence is  available  for  reference. 
Continuous  Transfer. 

Material  accumulates  in  the  files  for  an  ini- 
tial period  of  eighteen  months.  All  letters  prior 
to  a  certain  date  (either  six  months  or  one  year) 
are  then  transferred  in  the  old  folders  to  shelf 
boxes,  leaving  the  remainder  in  new  folders  in 
the  current  files. 

If  a  year's  correspondence  is  removed,  en- 
tirely fill  the  transfer  boxes. 

If  six  months '  correspondence  is  removed  half 
fill  the  box,  leaving  space  for  the  remaining  six 
months'  material  which  is  still  in  the  current 
files.  This  will  collect  in  one  transfer  box  all 
material  for  one  year.  Every  six  months  or 
every  year  this  operation  is  repeated. 

Boxes  containing  papers  on  a  given  subject 
or  from  a  given  correspondent  may  be  placed 
side  by  side  for  a  number  of  years  to  facilitate 
reference  to  material  that  is  consulted  for  a 
considerable  period.  The  shelf  boxes  are  more 
easily  handled  where  this  arrangement  is  main- 
tained, but  the  result  is  the  same  if  one  drawer 
cases  are  used.  An  alternative  procedure  is  to 
partly  fill  the  transfer  boxes,  noting  on  the  label 
the  number  or  letter  of  the  first  folder  in  each 


100  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

box.  At  stated  periods  repeat  the  transfer, 
placing  the  correspondence  in  the  same  folder 
and  box  of  the  previous  transfer.  Neither 
method  will  eliminate  a  certain  amount  of  tem- 
porarily unused  space  in  the  transfer  boxes  as, 
in  the  first,  it  is  impossible  to  be  sure  that 
correspondence  will  be  of  the  same  volume  each 
year,  and,  in  the  second,  space  must  be  left  for 
the  accumulation  of  material.  This  must  be 
counted  upon  when  the  grouping  of  correspond- 
ence so  described  is  desirable. 

The  work  of  transferring  according  to  this 
method  may  be  done  gradually  as  the  file  clerk 
has  the  spare  time  without  interfering  with  the 
operation  of  the  current  files. 
DESTRUCTION  OF  RECORDS 

This  is  a  question  to  be  decided  by  the  individual 
firm.  In  some  businesses  correspondence  may  be  ac- 
tually destroyed  every  six  months  or  year,  while 
in  other  cases  it  may  have  an  almost  indeterminate 
value.  It  is  not  unusual  for  a  foreign  customer  to 
wish  to  duplicate  an  order  after  several  years  and 
many  concerns  prefer  to  keep  their  records  intact. 

The  state  laws  (statutes  of  limitations)  constitute 
another  factor  which  business  organizations  may 
take  into  consideration.  These  laws,  which  vary  in 
different  states,  limit  the  time  for  collecting  debts, 
and  in  some  cases  correspondence  is  kept  for  this 
period. 
1  TRANSFER  OF  GUIDES  AND  FOLDERS. 

Generally  the  folders  themselves  are  transferred, 
new  ones  taking  their  places  in  the  current  files. 
Sometimes  the  guides  are  also  transferred,  but  usu- 


TRANSFERRING,  ;  , ;  JQl, 

ally  cheaper  ones  are  substituted  in  the  transfer  file 
or  not  used  at  all.    Suggestions  are  made  as  follows 
for  transferring  the  several  systems. 
Alphabetic. 

If  straight  cut  folders  are  used,  guides  of  a 
cheaper  material  should  be  substituted  in  the 
transfer  file  for  the  heavy  pressboard  or  metal 
tip  variety  used  in  the  current  file. 

For  example,  if  a  250  alphabetic  subdivision 
file  of  this  character  were  used,  the  individual 
and  miscellaneous  folders  would  be  transferred 
and  a  set  of  250  alphabetic  manila  guides  used 
in  the  transfer  files.  This  would  leave  in  the 
current  file  only  250  metal  tip  or  pressboard 
guides  and  would  necessitate  ordering  the  re- 
quired miscellaneous  folders  and  replacing  the 
individual  folders. 

If  tab  folders  are  used  they  may  serve  as 
guides  in  the  transfer  files.  In  this  case  the 
miscellaneous  folders,  which  bear  a  duplicate  of 
the  notations  on  the  regular  guides,  are  often 
filed  in  front  of  the  individual  folders. 
Numeric. 

Metal  tip  guides  are  duplicated  in  manila, 
and  if  the  latter  have  been  used  in  the  current 
file  they  are  simply  transferred  with  the  fold- 
ers. If  tab  folders  are  used,  of  course,  no 
guides  are  necessary  in  the  transfer  file. 

Some  indexers  maintain  that  folders  for  the 
current  file  shall  be  numbered  by  the  file  clerk 
and  put  into  the  file  only  as  letters  are  received 
for  correspondents  who  have  already  been  as- 
signed numbers,  as  there  is  chance  of  some 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

numbers  being  again  unused.  If,  originally, 
however,  correspondence  is  placed  in  the  mis- 
cellaneous section  until  positively  active,  and 
the  reassignment  is  made  periodically  of  the 
numbers  of  such  correspondents  as  have 
dropped  out,  there  should  be  no  unused  num- 
bered folders  in  the  files  at  any  time.  A  dupli- 
cate set  of  numbered  folders  for  the  current 
files  may  therefore  be  ordered  and  put  into  the 
files  after  transfer  has  been  made. 

Do  not  transfer  the  card  index.    This  has  an 
accumulative  value  and  serves  as  a  permanent 
index  to  all  material  filed. 
Automatic. 

The  duplication  of  secondary  guides  is  un- 
necessary, miscellaneous  folders  acting  as 
guides.  Primary  guides  should  be  transferred 
or  duplicated,  as  the  notation  on  the  miscel- 
laneous folders — "Subj."  followed  by  a  num- 
ber, does  not  correspond  with  the  alphabetic 
notation  on  the  primary  guide.  Without  pri- 
mary guides,  the  chart  must  be  consulted  for 
numbers  before  material  can  be  located. 
Geographic. 

Metal  tip  state  guides  should  be  duplicated  in 
the  transfer  file.    If  tab  folders  are  used  town 
guides  are  unnecessary,  the  miscellaneous  town 
folders  taking  their  places. 
Subject  and  Decimal. 

Periodic  transfer  is  often  made  with  the 
necessary  duplication  of  guides.  In  some  files 
of  this  character,  however,  correspondence  has 
an  accumulative  value  and  is  never  transferred, 


TRANSFERRING 


103 


new  equipment  being  added  as  correspondence 
grows. 

In  order  to  insure  the  return  of  borrowed 
transferred  folders  to  files  of  the  proper  year, 
they  should  be  stamped  with  the  word  ' '  Trans- 
ferred" and  year— Transferred  1918. 
Card  Records. 

Many  card  records  have  a  permanent  value 
and  are  not  transferred.  In  some  cases,  how- 
ever, a  card  which  is  filled  is  succeeded  by  one 
containing  later  information  and  the  first  card 
is  transferred  for  possible  reference.  The  cards 
should  be  maintained  in  the  same  order  in  the 
transfer  file  as  in  the  regular  file. 
Catalogues. 

These  are  transferred  or  destroyed  upon  the 
receipt  of  new  copies.     As   all  firms  do  not 
issue  catalogues  at  stated  times,  transfer  can- 
not be  made  periodically. 
LABELS  FOR  TRANSFER  BOXES. 

Transfer  boxes  should  be  accurately  labeled  to 
show  contents  and  period  covered  by  contents. 


Alphabetic 


Numeric 


Automatic 


Geographic 


A-E 
1918 

1-300 
1918 

AalO-Br40 
1918 

New  York 
Albany-Buffalo 
1918 

Quiz — TRANSFERRING 

1.  Why  is  the  transfer  of  general  office  correspondence 
necessary  ? 

2.  When  should  transfer  be  made? 


104  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

3.  Name  3  types  of  transfer  equipment. 

4.  Describe  one  of  them. 

5.  Name  3  methods  of  transferring. 

6.  Describe  one  of  them. 

7.  What  have  you  to  say  about  the  destruction  of  rec- 
ords? 

8.  What  suggestions  would  you  offer  regarding  the  trans- 
fer of  guides? 

9.  How  would  you  transfer  a  125  division  alphabetic  sys- 
tem in  which  tab  folders  were  used  ? 

10.  What  notation  should  appear  on  transferred  folders? 
Draw  a  sample  label  for  two  systems. 


CHAPTER   X 

LEGAL  FILING 
Legal  Filing-. 

There  are  two  forms  in  which  legal  papers  are  filed. 
FIRST  FORM. 

Folded  and  filed  on  end  in  document  files. 


VERTICAL  DOCUMENT  TRAY  SECTION 
105 


HORIZONTAL    SECTION    OF    DOCUMENT    TRAYS 


LEGAL  VERTICAL  FILE. 

106 


LEGAL  FILING 


107 


Disadvantages. 

1 — Papers  thus  folded  are  difficult  to  handle. 
2 — They  occupy  more  space  in  the  file. 
3 — The  opening  and  folding  of  papers  wears 
them  out  and  makes  them  illegible. 
SECOND  FORM. 

Unfolded  or  flattened  out  in  a  legal  size  vertical 
file  which  is  the  more  modern. 
Container. 

The  container  for  papers  may  be  an  envelope 
or   folder   of   manila,    leatherette   or   fiberope. 


These  containers  are  generally  made  to  expand, 
and  ordinarily  will  hold  all  the  papers  in  a  case. 

There  are  two  main  classes  of  papers  in  a 
case — Correspondence  and  Legal  Documents 
(sometimes  press  clippings).  Correspondence 
is  attached  to  a  binder  folder  or  letter-back  in 
date  order,  latest  date  to  the  front.  The  letter- 
back  is  a  heavy  manila  sheet  somewhat  similar 
to  a  folder  and  is  filed  at  the  front  of  the  case 
container.  Legal  documents  are  filed  in  date 
order  behind  the  letter-back.  Duplicate  copies 
of  documents  are  placed  in  separate  folders 
behind  the  case  container. 

If  the  papers  in  a  case  are  too  bulky  to  be 


108  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

filed  easily  in  one  container  they  are  subdivided, 
first  by  class  of  papers,  then,  if  the  case  is 
appealed,  by  trial.  Correspondence  is  put  in 
one  container,  legal  papers  in  a  second  and 
press  clippings,  if  any,  in  a  third.  When  a 
case  is  appealed  and  new  trial  granted  it  means 
the  preparation  of  new  papers  and  is  prac- 
tically a  new  case.  The  papers  of  the  two  trials 
should  never  be  merged.  They  should  be  kept 
in  separate  containers. 

There  are  many  terms  used  in  connection  with  legal 
papers.    Among  those  most  commonly  used  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Plaintiff,  party  bringing  suit. 
Defendant,  party  sued. 

Versus — abbreviations,  vs.  or  v.— -against.  This  term, 
used  between  the  names  of  plaintiff  and  defendant,  indi- 
cates that  the  name  first  listed  is  that  of  the  plaintiff  in 
a  case. 

Brown,  Henry,  vs.  Caleb  Jones 

Adversus — abbreviations,  advs.  or  adv. — against.  This 
term,  used  between  the  names  of  defendant  and  plaintiff, 
indicates  that  the  name  first  listed  is  that  of  the  de- 
fendant in  a  case. 

Jones,  Caleb,  advs.  Henry  Brown 
In  Re  or  Re  (regarding).     Used  in  referring  to  legal 
business  that  does  not  involve  court  actions,  such  as  the 
drawing  of  agreements,  and  wills,  consultations,  etc. 

In  Re  Henry  Carter  Estate. 

Et  al.  (and  others).  This  term  appearing  after  the 
name  of  the  principal  plaintiff  or  defendant  indicates 
that  other  parties  are  involved  as  plaintiffs  or  defend- 
ants in  the  same  action. 


LEGAL  FILING  109 

The  court  record  of  any  action  always  cites  the  name 
of  the  plaintiff  first  and  reference  to  the  action  is  made 
by  this  name.  To  a  lawyer,  however,  his  client  is  of 
primary  importance  regardless  of  his  being  plaintiff  or 
defendant  in  an  action.  Cases  are  therefore  indexed  or 
filed  under  the  client's  name  with  a  cross  reference  un- 
der the  name  of  the  opposing  party. 
SYSTEMS. 

Legal  cases  may  be  filed  alphabetically  by  name  of 
client,  each  case  in  a  separate  container;  or  by  sub- 
ject according  to  the  alphabetic,  numeric  or  decimal 
systems,  or  numerically  (both  straight  numeric  and 
duplex  numeric).  Either  of  these  numeric  systems 
is  very  generally  used  because  the  names  of  plain- 
tiff, defendant  and  all  other  parties  connected  with 
a  case  may  be  so  readily  located  in  the  card  index. 
NUMERIC  SYSTEM. 

When  a  straight  numeric  system  is  used,  numbers 
are  assigned  consecutively  to  each  case.  An  objec- 
tion to  this  method  is  that  the  various  cases  of  one 
client  are  scattered  through  the  files  due  to  the  re- 
ceipt of  intervening  cases  from  other  clients.  Aux- 
iliary numbers  of  the  original  case  numbers  are 
assigned  to  appealed  or  closed  cases  and  general 
correspondence  with  a  client  that  does  not  pertain 
to  cases  is  often  kept  in  a  separate  file. 

To  illustrate:  A  lawyer  is  transacting  business 
for  his  client,  John  Kenny,  whose  first  lawsuit  is 
his  case  against  the  Persian  Rug  Co.  The  case  is 
appealed  and  retried.  Mr.  Kenny  is  also  sued  by 
Harry  Smith,  this  constituting  the  second  legal  case. 
The  following  cut  illustrates  the  appearance  of 


110 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


the  folders  assigned  to  John  Kenny's  cases  filed 
according  to  the  straight  numeric  system: 


Second  Case 


36 


35 


First  Case     Retrial 


33H 


Fj'rst  Case 


33 


33  is  the  next  unused  number  at  the  time  the 
Persian  Bug  action  is  received.  The  two  cases  from 
other  clients  next  handled  are"  assigned  numbers  34 
and  35.  Mr.  Kenny  is  later  sued  by  Smith  and  his 
second  case  is  given  No.  36.  The  retrial  of  the 
Persian  Eug  case  is  given  33-1,  an  auxiliary  of  the 
original  case  number.  The  client 's  cases  are  not  kept 
together  and,  had  a  greater  period  of  time  elapsed, 
they  would  have  been  still  further  separated. 

Index  cards  are  made  out  as  follows: 


Kenny,  John                                      (^) 

33 

vs   Persian  Rug  Co. 
Retrial 

33-1 

0 

LEGAL  FILING 


111 


Persian  Rug   Co. 

advs  Kenny,  John 
Retrial 

33 
33-1 

0 

(Kenny,  John                                     (2) 

36 

advs   Smith,  Harry 

0 

Smith,   Harry 

vs  Kenny,  -John 

36 

O 

112 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


DUPLEX  NUMERIC  SYSTEM. 

This  method  keeps  all  papers  pertaining  to  one 
client  together  in  one  place  in  the  file.  Each  client 
is  assigned  a  number.  In  a  container  bearing  this 
number  is  placed  all  general  correspondence  with 
the  client  that  does  not  pertain  to  cases.  Each  of  his 
cases  or  extremely  important  transactions  is  given 
an  auxiliary  of  this  number,  as  illustrated  in  the 
following  cut: 


{        (2nd  Case) 


1     (1st    Case-Retrial) 

50-la 

|        (1st  Case) 

50-1 

1    (Clients  Genl  Crspc.) 

50 

so-a 


Index  cards  should  be  made  out  for  each  client 
as  follows: 


Kenny,  John 

50 

Elizabeth,  N  J. 

vs.     Persian  Rug  Co. 
advs.  Harry  Smith 
re       Henry   Carter  Estate 
vs.     Persian  Rug  Co  (Retrial) 

50-1 
50-2 
P50-3 
50-la 

0 

CLIENT'S  CARD  LISTING  VARIOUS  ACTIONS. 


LEGAL  FILING 

Cross  index  cards  are  made  as  follows 


113 


Persian  Rug  Co 

New  York,  NY 

advs.  John  Kenny 
Retrial 

50-1 
50-la 

o 

Smith,  Harry 

New  York,  NY 

vs  John  Kenny 

50-2 

o 

Carter,  Henry  Estate 

Westchester,  N.Y. 

SEE 
John  Kenny 

50-3 

O 

114 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


The  witnesses  in  a  case  may  be  indexed  on  cards, 
one  card  to  each,  or  listed  on  sheets  which  are  filed 
with  the  other  case  papers.  A  card  would  be  made 
out  as  follows: 


Bartlett,  Henry 

Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

Witness  for  plaintiff 
John  Kenny  vs.  Persian  Rug  Co. 

50-1 

O 

WITNESS   CARD. 


Outside  of  the  legal  cases  and  clients'  general  cor- 
respondence, every  law  office  has  a  certain  amount 
of  correspondence  pertaining  to  office  interests  only, 
such  as  bills  for  rent,  telephone,  etc.    These  should 
be    cared    for    in    a    separate    file    according    to 
any  desired  system. 
Records  in  a  Law  Office. 
REGISTER. 

The  register  records  the  detailed  histories  of  cases 
as  they  progress.  It  constitutes  a  summary  of  serv- 
ices and  disbursements  in  connection  with  a  case 
and  is  the  basis  upon  which  bills  are  rendered  to 
clients.  It  is  kept  in  loose  leaf  form  alphabetically 
by  name  of  client  and  when  cases  are  completed 
sheets  are  removed  and  filed  with  the  other  case 
papers. 


LEGAL  FILING 


115 


DOCKET. 

This  is  similar  to  the  register  but  is  generally  in 
card  form  recording  only  the  main  points  of  the 
case  in  condensed  form. 


DOCKET  RECORD. 

CARD  INDEX  TO  DECISIONS. 

This  is  an  index  to  decisions    that    have    been 
handed  down  by  the  different  courts  enabling  any 
member  of  the  firm  to  compare  or  give  decisions  in 
similar  cases.     Cards  are  filed  by  subject. 
OPINIONS 

Duplicate  copies  of  opinions  should  be  filed  by 
subject  in  a  separate  file. 
DIGESTS  OR  BRIEFS. 

When  a  case  is  closed  a  digest  is  made  of  it.   One 


116  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

copy  is  filed  with  the  case  papers  and  a  duplicate 
may  be  put  in  the  opinion  file. 
TICKLER. 

This  is  an  important  item  in  a  law  office.     It 
covers  engagements,  court  appearances,  etc. 
LEGAL  BLANKS. 

The  various  forms  of  legal  blanks  are  often  stored 
in  shallow  drawers,  100  or  so  to  each  drawer.  They 
are  filed  flat.  Another  method  is  to  file  them  in 
regular  legal  size  files,  vertically,  behind  press- 
board  guides. 


HORIZONTAL   SECTION   FOR   STORING   LEGAL  BLANKS. 

Transferring. 

Legal  papers  are  transferred  at  unstated  periods,  gen- 
erally when  a  case  is  settled  or  becomes  inactive.  At 
this  time,  clients'  cards  are  starred  but  are  not  generally 
removed  from  the  index. 

Quiz — LEGAL  FILING 

1.  Name  two  forms  in  which  legal  papers  may  be  filed. 

2.  How  many  classes  of  papers  in  legal  filing?     Name 
them. 


LEGAL  FILING  117 

3.  Describe  order  of  material  in  legal  container. 

4.  How  do  you  provide  for  the  papers  of  a  case  when 
they  outgrow  their  container? 

5.  "What  arrangement  is  made  for  a  retrial? 

6.  By  what  methods  may  legal  papers  be  filed? 

7.  Which  methods  are  most  commonly  used?    Why? 

8.  Define— 

Plaintiff 
Defendant 
Versus 
Adversus 
Re  or  in  Re 

9.  How  is  material,  aside  from  that  pertaining  to  cases., 
cared  for  in  a  law  office? 

10.  What  is  a  register?    A  docket? 


CHAPTER   XI 

INSURANCE 

Classes. 

Insurance  may  be  classified  in  general  as  follows : 
Life 
Fire 

Casualty 
Marine 

An  insurance  organization  may  be  limited  to  any  one 
of  these  classes  or  write  several  of  them.  The  main  office 
of  an  insurance  company  is  termed  the  "home"  office. 
Its  business  is  done  through  branch  offices  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  and  through  agents.  If  an  agency 
is  established  by  an  insurance  company  in  a  certain  lo- 
cality the  business  it  does  is  limited  to  that  of  this  par- 
ticular company.  Insurance  of  various  companies,  how- 
ever, may  be  written  by  an  independent  agent  or  broker. 
The  individual  whose  business  it  is  to  look  for  prospec- 
tive clients  is  called  a  solicitor.  Life  and  fire  insurance 
offer  the  largest  field,  and  as  their  records  are  somewhat 
similar,  they  will  be  given  special  attention. 
LIFE  INSURANCE. 

Prospects'  Cards. 

A  solicitor  for  life  insurance  maintains  a  card 
record  of  persons  whom  he  is  endeavoring  to 
interest  in  taking  out  policies.  These  prospec- 
tive clients  are  known  as  "prospects"  and  all 
information  which  the  solicitor  or  agent  is  able 
118 


INSURANCE 


119 


to  obtain  regarding  the  amount  of  insurance 
carried,  if  any,  and  other  data,  is  of  value  to 
him  when  following  up  these  prospects.  As  the 
rate  of  insurance  changes  with  a  person's  age,  a 
record  of  the  month  of  birth  is  important  and 
the  solicitor  uses  a  tab  card  similar  to  those 
shown  in  the  cut  for  this  purpose,  each  card 
having  a  tab  indicating  a  separate  month. 
These  are  filed  alphabetically  and  the  tabs  ap- 
pear in  their  proper  relation  to  each  other  in 


LIFE  INSURANCE    ''PROSPECTS77    CARDS. 


120 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


the  file  without  disturbing  the  alphabetic  se- 
quence. 
Applications. 

When  an  agent  or  solicitor  has  influenced  his 
client  to  take  life  insurance  the  next  step  is 
the  filling  out  of  a  blank  form  known  as  an 
' l  application. ' '  This  contains  data  of  a  personal 
nature  regarding  the  applicant  as  to  age,  state 


APPLICATION 

AND 

All  papers  affecting  action, 

and  character  of  risk 

Do  not  detach  any  papers  fromjolder 

Return  promptly  to  Fil ing  Dept, 


' '  APPLICATION  ' '    FOLDER. 

of  health,  etc.,  and  bears  on  its  face  a  number 
which  serves  to  identify  it  with  the  policy  when 
issued. 

This  application  is  forwarded  by  the  agent  to 
the  home  office  where  it  is  filed  alphabetically 
pending  its  checking  up  with  the  records  of  the 
Medical  Inspection  Bureau.  This  is  a  card 
list  of  great  proportions  containing  a  record  of 
everyone  who  has  applied  for  life  insurance, 
whether  rejected  or  accepted.  If  approved  by 
this  department  the  application  is  routed 


INSURANCE 


121 


through  the  various  other  departments  until  it 
reaches  the  filing  department.  In  due  course  a 
policy  is  issued  and  the  application  is  placed  in 
a  folder  and  filed  by  the  number  given  the 
policy. 

On  page  120  is  a  cut  of  an  improved  applica- 
tion folder  with  a  "  window "  at  the  top  expos- 
ing a,  portion  of  the  face  of  the  application. 
This  arrangement  makes  reference  possible 
without  removing  the  application  from  the 
folder.  All  subsequent  correspondence  relating 
to  the  policy  is  kept  in  the  folder  with  the  appli- 
cation. 
Record  of  Policy  Holders. 

As  soon  as  a  policy  is  issued  at  the  home 
office  a  card  is  made  out  bearing  the  name  of 
the  insured,  the  number  of  the  policy,  a  nota- 


.,      /*£\ 


NAME  OF  ASSURED 


.11 


DATE  OF  ISSUE 


HALF  YEARLY 


JUARTERLY 


QUARTERLY   PAYMENT   TAB    CARD. 


122  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

tion  of  the  agency,  date  of  issue,  amount,  and 
other  details  that  may  be  necessary.  The 
amounts  paid  the  company  for  carrying  the 
policy  are  called  "premiums"  and  may  be  paid 
annually,  semi-annually,  or  quarterly.  These 
cards  are  termed  ' t  expiration ' '  records,  the  tabs 
indicating  the  months  the  policy  would  expire 
or  lapse  unless  proper  payments  of  the  pre- 
miums due  were  made. 

These  lists  constitute  the  largest  part  of  the 
records  in  an  insurance  office  and  are  filed  al- 
phabetically under  one  of  the  systems  with 
which  the  student  is  already  familiar,  the  twen- 
ty-name arrangement  being  popular.  The  M.  I. 
B.  (Medical  Inspection  Bureau)  record  men- 
tioned before  is  also  of  great  volume  and  re- 
quires the  most  careful  manipulation. 
Loan  Records. 

Home  offices  make  many  loans  to  policy  hold- 
ers on  their  policies,  and  this  involves  a  record 
on  cards  carrying  an  expiration  tab  indicating 
the  time  the  loan  is  due  or  the  dates  on  which 
payment  of  interest  is  to  be  made. 
General  Correspondence. 

Naturally  an  insurance  company  has  a  great 
deal  of  correspondence  that  has  no  direct  bear- 
ing upon  the  business  done  with  its  policy  hold- 
ers and  this  is  kept  separate  under  the  system 
best  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  com- 
pany. 
FIRE  INSURANCE. 

A  Daily  Report,  or  "Daily"  as  it  is  commonly 
known,  is  a  form  which  is  filled  out  by  the  agent  for 


INSURANCE 


123 


the  person  applying  for  insurance.  This  contains 
the  necessary  information  regarding  the  property 
on  which  insurance  is  desired  and  constitutes  the 
bulk  of  filable  material  maintained  in  the  home  office 
of  a  fire  insurance  company.  Similar  * '  dailies  ' '  are 
also  made  out  for  other  varieties  of  insurance. 
Each  agent  is  provided  with  a  supply  of  these 


AGENT'S  FILE. 


124  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

forms  by  the  company  he  represents,  and  these  are 
numbered  in  sequence,  in  duplicate.  One  is  made 
out  by  him  for  each  policy  of  insurance  he  writes, 
one  copy  being  sent  to  the  home  office  and  the  other 
retained  by  him  for  his  files.  In  the  home  office 
these  dailies  may  be  filed  under  one  of  two  methods. 
Geographically  by  the  territory  controlled  by 

an  Agency,  filing  the  dailies  by  their  numbers 

back  of  the  guide  indicating  the  locality. 
Geographically  as  above,  but  filing  the  dailies 

by  expiration  date  instead  of  by  their  numbers. 

This  necessitates  a  set  of  month  guides  to  each 

agency. 

The  agent  files  his  duplicates  of  these  dailies  by 
month  of  expiration,  and  when  representing  several 
companies  maintains  a  separate  guide  for  each  com- 
pany with  the  dailies  segregated  by  month  back 
of  each,  respectively,  as  shown  in  cut. 


EXPIRATION    CARDS. 


INSURANCE  125 

Correspondence  in  an  agent's  office  should  be  kept 
separate  from  the  dailies  and  also  segregated  by  the 
companies  he  represents. 
Expiration  Cards. 

These  cards  are  filed  alphabetically  under  the 
name  of  the  insured  and  contain  general  in- 
formation concerning  the  policy.  They  provide 
for  six  renewals.  The  tabs  on  these  cards  rep- 
resent the  month  in  which  the  policy  expires. 
See  cut  on  page  124. 
Card  Register. 

These  cards  are  similar  to  the  ones  described 
above  except  that  they  carry  the  entire  amount 
of  insurance  on  a  given  piece  of  property.  A 
client  may  have  policies  in  several  different 
companies  and  this  gives  the  full  line  of  in- 
surance in  force. 

The  records  in  the  office  of  the  other  insur- 
ance companies  are  almost  identical  with  those 
of  a  fire  insurance  company  as  the  methods  of 
doing  business  are  practically  the  same. 


Quiz — INSURANCE 

1.  "What  two  card  records  are  used  in  Life  Insurance  ? 

2.  Name  and  describe  briefly  the  form  filled  out  by  per- 
son desiring  life  insurance. 

3.  What  is  a  Daily?     By  whom  filled  out? 

4.  How  are  both  forms  filed  pending  their  acceptance? 
After  their  acceptance? 

5.  How  is  general  correspondence  kept  in  an  insurance 
office? 


CHAPTER    XII 

EEAL   ESTATE 

Eeal  Estate. 

The  business  basis  of  a  real  estate  office  is  the  lists  of 
properties  for 'sale,  rent  or  exchange,  and  these  vary 
from  acreage,  in  case  of  country  or  development  propo- 
sitions, to  business  blocks  in  cities.  In  a  small  town  a 
dealer  usually  has  a  number  of  farms,  timber  or  mineral 
properties  and  similar  parcels  of  land  on  his  lists,  but 
it  is  just  as  essential  that  his  records  be  kept  in  proper 
shape  as  it  is  for  the  large  operator  in  a  city. 

In  general,  a  real  estate  dealer  divides  his  business 
into  two  classes — "For  Rent"  and  "For  Sale."  Some 
classes  of  property,  of  course,  never  come  under  the  for- 
mer heading,  but  this  only  applies  to  a  small  variety.  A 
condensed  record  must  be  kept  of  all  the  properties  for 
sale  and  for  rent,  these  being  placed  in  his  hands  for 
that  purpose  by  the  owners  and  the  lists  of  this  charac- 
ter are  always  kept  in  card  form. 

Let  us  first  consider  the  property  "listing"  card5  An" 
inquiry  from  a  possible  customer  would  be,  first  as  to 
class  of  property,  then  the  location,  and  next  the  price, 
— this  means  of  reference  being  the  same  in  case  of 
rentals  and  in  sales.  _  It  therefore  follows  that  a  card 
containing  information  in  this  sequence  would  afford 
the  most  rapid  means  of  obtaining  for  the  customer  the 
necessary  details  regarding  certain  classes  of  property 
in  which  he  might  be  interested.  By  making  two  classi, 

123 


EEAL  ESTATE 


127 


90-Krs 


EEAL    ESTATE   CARD   FORMS. 


128 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


fications  "For  Rent"  and  "For  Sale,"  and  subdividing 
each  of  these  headings  under  lots,  dwellings,  business 
properties,  apartments,  farms,  etc.,  information  of  a  con- 
densed nature  is  readily  accessible. 

In  the  preceding  cut  are  shown  varieties  of  cards  suit- 
able for  these  listings,  and  on  the  backs  of  all  the  ' '  For 
Sale"  cards  is  printed  a  diagram  which  provides  for 
showing  the  location  of  a  piece  of  property  and  its  prox- 
imity to  adjoining  streets. 


These  cards  may  be  equipped  with  tabs  as  shown,  each 
tab  representing  a  different  value  (or  range  of  values). 
This  would  be  carried  out  by  means  of  a  key  system  on 
the  same  principle  as  tab  systems  outlined  in  previous 
lessons.  Take,  for  instance,  a  card  bearing  the  heading 
"Apartment  for  Rent,"  No.  1  tab  might  represent 


REAL  ESTATE  129 

rentals  from  $40  to  $50  per  month,  No.  2  $60  to  $70, 
No.  3  $80  to  $90,  etc.,  while,  in  the  case  of  sale,  a  sim- 
ilar arrangement  would  be  maintained  for  selling  values. 

In  case  of  a  city  the  natural  means  of  filing  these 
cards  is  by  streets — in  a  large  list  using  a  guide  for  every 
street. 

•  In  smaller  lists,  streets  in  a  certain  locality  may  be 
grouped  indicating  the  boundaries  on  the  guide  tab,  as, 
for  instance,  "Second  Street  to  Twentieth  Street." 

"With  the  cards  properly  made  out,  then,  and  the  classi- 
fications established,  should  a  customer  call  at  the  office 
to  rent  an  apartment  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tenth 
Street,  reference  would  be  made  to  the  ' i  For  Rent ' '  cab- 
inet or  classification,  the  location  found  by  means  of  the 
guide  just  mentioned;  the  apartments  next  referred  to 
by  a  guide  bearing  that  heading  and  the  customer  given 
a  list  of  those  renting  at  the  sum  he  might  designate, 
these  being  identified  in  the  list  by  means  of  the  tabs. 
-  The  same  procedure  would  be  followed  out  in  referring 
to  any  of  the  other  properties  either  for  sale  or  for  rent. 
Follow-up. 

A  follow-up  system  is  another  important  feature  in  the 
real  estate  business.  It  frequently  occurs  that  just  at 
the  time  a  prospective  purchaser  is  looking  for  property 
to  buy  or  to  rent  there  is  nothing  available  in  the  local- 
ity or  nothing  at  the  price  he  wishes  to  pay.  Salesmen 
also  learn  from  a  business  house  or  an  individual  of  a 
contemplated  change  of  location  and  immediately  turn 
their  efforts  towards  securing  this  business.  In  such 
cases  a  card  should  be  made  out  for  each  prospect,  pref- 
erably with  a  tab  indicating  the  sale  or  renting  price 
which  he  expects  to  pay.  As  various  properties  for  sale 


130  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

or  rent  are  submitted  to  the  office,  this  card  list  is  con- 
sulted and  the  prospective  purchaser  or  lessee  is  fur- 
nished with  the  necessary  details  in  connection  with  such 
of  these  as  may  approximate  his  requirements.  Such  a 
list  would  of  course  be  alphabetical. 

Leases. 

In  connection  with  this  list  there  should  also  be  main- 
tained a  record  of  expiration  of  leases.  An  agent  or 
broker  is  constantly  in  receipt  from  clients  of  inquiries 
regarding  a  certain  property  that  may  seem  especially 
desirable  because  of  its  location  and  a  record  of  the 
expiration  of  a  lease,  conditions,  etc.,  should  be  kept  in 
an  agent's  office.  A  card  bearing  an  expiration  tab 
(month)  may  be  used  for  the  purpose,  bearing  the  neces- 
sary data  obtained  from  the  salesman,  real  estate  jour- 
nal, etc.  By  means  of  this  record,  the  agent  can  put 
before  his  client  all  the  facts  regarding  the  lease,  and, 
if  the  client  is  interested  in  obtaining  a  lease,  or  purchas- 
ing the  property,  put  in  a  bid  before  the  lease  expires. 

Rental  Ledger. 

A  rental  ledger  in  either  loose  leaf  or  card  form 
should  form  another  record.  Rentals,  usually  collected 
monthly,  may  be  recorded  on  cards  showing  the  col- 
lections for,  say,  a  period,  of  six  years,  and  postings  are 
made  direct  from  the  cash  book. 

Installments. 

In  a  development  proposition  where  building  lots  are 
sold  on  the  installment  plan,  a  card  ledger  is  also  the 
best  means  of  recording  such  transactions.  Ordinarily 
the  salesman  is  given  a  commission  on  such  sales,  and  a 
special  ledger  card,  filed  under  the  name  of  the  pur- 
chaser alphabetically,  gives  the  amount  for  which  the 
plot  is  sold,  records  each  payment  as  made  by  the  pur- 


REAL  ESTATE 


131 


chaser,  and  also  contains  the  name  of  the  salesman  and 
the  amount  of  the  commission  paid  him. 


INSTALLMENT  LEDGER. 


Insurance  Records. 

Records  of  insurance  on  property  are  also  maintained 
in  the  offices  of  an  agent  and  forms  similar  to  those 
shown  in  our  lesson  on  insurance  may  be  used  for  this 
purpose.  A  record  of  the  entire  insurance  on  the  prop- 
erty may  be  seen  at  a  glance  and  this  may  be  increased 
or  decreased  according  to  the  valuation  of  the  property. 

In  addition  to  this  insurance,  real  estate  agents  are 
also  agents  for  insurance  of  various  kinds,  these  two 
lines  of  business  being  logically  merged  in  the  office  of 
agents  in  small  towns. 
Maps. 

Every  real  estate  office  has  a  set  of  large  bound  maps 
containing  diagrams  of  city  blocks  or  certain  districts, 


132  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

these  being  of  the  same  type  as  those  used  in  the  offices 
of  insurance  companies  and  stored  in  the  same  manner. 
These  are  used  for  reference  as  to  the  character  of  ad- 
joining property,  and  bear  notations  of  interest. 
Transfer  Record. 

When  a  change  occurs  in  the  ownership  of  a  piece  of 
property  it  is  known  as  a  "transfer."  This  information 
is  valuable  to  a  real  estate  broker  and  a  record  may  be 
established  on  three  by  five  cards.  Real  estate  journals 
publish  these  transfer  records  and  clippings  from  the 
journals,  or  information  regarding  a  transfer  received 
from  other  sources  are  pasted  upon  the  cards,  one  card 
for  each  piece  of  property.  These  cards  are  filed  by  loca- 
tion and  the  records  changed  as  the  property  changes 
hands.  The  price  at  which  the  property  was  sold  is 
always  stated  so  that  this  list  may  be  consulted  as  an 
indication  of  property  values. 

The  method  of  filing  the  correspondence  of  a  real 
estate  office  is  determined  in  much  the  same  manner  as 
in  any  other  business,  the  number  of  correspondents, 
range  of  operations,  etc.,  contributing  to  decide  the  most 
satisfactory  system  to  employ. 

Quiz — REAL  ESTATE 

1.  What  is  a  property  list? 

2.  What  two  general  classifications  are  usually  made  of 
such  a  list? 

3.  How  is  range  of  values  in  rents  or  selling  prices  indi- 
cated on  property  lists? 

4.  What  other  records  are  kept  in  a  real  estate  office? 

5.  What  purpose  do  the  bound  maps  serve  ? 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FOLLOW-UP    METHODS 

Follow-up  Methods. 

"Follow-Up"  is  the  term  universally  recognized  in 
connection  with  attention  that  must  be  given  specific 
matters  on  certain  dates.  It  is  used  in  connection  with 
sales  records  and  correspondence,  orders,  inter-office  mat- 
ters and  in  any  phase  of  business  which  involves  an  auto- 
matic reminder  of  daily  routine. 

" TICKLER"  SYSTEM  FOR  CORRESPONDENCE. 

The  simplest  following-up  method  embraces  the 
use  of  guides  for  the  months  and  for  the  days  of 
the  month,  and  is  known  as  a  " tickler"  system, 
whether  applied  to  cards  or  to  correspondence. 


TICKLER    SYSTEM. 

As  shown  in  the  cut,  the  guides  indicating  the 
days  of  the  month  are  filed  in  their  respective  posi- 
tions back  of  the  month  guide.     To-day  we  write 
letters  to  a  number  of  correspondents  regarding  a 
133 


134  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

matter  which  we  trust  will  interest  them.  If  w? 
do  not  hear  from  them  within  two  weeks  we  expect 
to  again  communicate  with  them.  "When  the  stenog- 
rapher writes  these  letters  she  makes  an  extra  car- 
bon, in  addition  to  the  one  for  the  regular  file, 
marking  in  a  conspicuous  place  on  both  carbons  a 
date  two  weeks  hence.  These  extra  carbons  are 
then  all  filed  together  (preserving  their  alphabetic 
order)  in  the  tickler  file  back  of  the  date  indi- 
cated. Daily  consultation  of  this  file  brings  before 
the  user  each  day  the  various  correspondence  de- 
manding his  attention.  Should  a  letter  be  received 
by  us  from  any  of  these  correspondents  between 
the  date  we  wrote  and  the  date  on  our  schedule  for 
writing  him,  reference  to  the  general  file  will  pro- 
duce the  copy  of  his  letter  showing  the  date  sched- 
uled for  follow-up,  and  the  second  copy  is  removed 
from  the  tickler  file. 

In  the  event  of  more  than  one  follow-up  letter  be- 
ing sent,  the  same  process  may  be  repeated  at  in- 
tervals of  two  weeks  until  the  matter  is  finally 
dropped  or  otherwise  disposed  of.  The  illustration 
shows  equipment  for  two  full  sets  of  day  guides. 
If  it  is  necessary  to  schedule  follow-up  for  a  longer 
period  this  may  be  easily  regulated  by  equipping 
the  file  with  as  many  sets  of  day  guides  as  required. 
Under  ordinary  circumstances,  however,  this  is  not 
necessary  and  the  few  letters  requiring  attention 
months  ahead  may  be  filed  back  of  the  month  guide 
and  the  day  guides  advanced  from  month  to  month 
as  time  passes,  this  material  being  segregated  by 
dates  when  the  month  guide  is  supplemented  by  the 
set  of  days. 


FOLLOW-UP  METHODS 


135 


ALPHABETICAL  TICKLER. 

In  using  this  method  the  alphabetical  sequence  of 
correspondence  is  not  disturbed  and  the  follow-up 
dates  are  indicated  by  means  of  signals  af  the  tops 
of  folders. 


ALPHABETICAL    TICKLER    SHOWING    SIGNALS. 


136  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

An  additional  carbon  may  be  made  for  follow-up 
purposes  in  using  this  method  or  the  entire  corre- 
spondence filed  in  the  folder.  The  folders  bear 
across  the  upper  flap  the  range  of  the  days  of  the 
month — one  to  thirty-one — and  one  folder  is  made 
out  for  each  correspondent,  the  signal  being  ad- 
justed to  the  date  on  which  the  follow-up  is  to  be 
made.  Upon  receipt  of  a  letter  from  a  correspond- 
ent before  the  date  scheduled  for  follow-up,  alpha- 
betical reference  to  the  file  is  all  that  is  necessary 
to  forestall  a  second  letter  being  sent. 


INDIVIDUAL    FOLDER. 

CARD  FOLLOW-UP. 

Practically  the  same  principles  apply  to  follow-up 
methods  in  card  lists;  that  is,  this  is  accomplished 
by  means  of  a  tickler  or  by  using  some  method  of 
signalling  the  cards  without  disturbing  their  ar- 
rangement in  the  file. 
TICKLER  METHOD. 

The  month-  and  day-guiding  arrangement  in  this 
method  is  identical  with  that  of  the  one  used  for 


FOLLOW-UP  METHODS 


137 


correspondence  follow-up,  except  that  it  is  applied 
to  the  standard  card  sizes,  usually  three-  by  five- 
inch  guides  being  used. 


January 

CARD   FOLLOW-UP. 

For  the  sake  of  compactness  and  economy,  instead 
of  limiting  a  card  to  one  name  only,  it  will  expedite 
matters  to  note  on  a  card  as  many  names  as  it  will 
contain  of  the  correspondents  to  be  followed  on  a 
given  date.  In  a  numerical  system,  only  the  corre- 
spondents' numbers  may  be  indicated  on  the  card 
in  the  tickler. 

This  tickler  should  be  consulted  daily  and  may  be 
used  to  check  up  correspondence  taken  out  of  the 
file  by  a  member  of  the  office  force,  as  well  as  in 
following  up  correspondence  from  outside  sources. 
Direct  Method. 

In  many  cases  where  a  large  card  list  is  in- 
volved, especially  in  mail  order  and  sales  work, 
practically  all  of  the  follow-up  is  done  directly 
from  the  card  records.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  at  the  inception  of  an  extensive  sales  cam- 


138 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


paign,  large  card  lists  of  prospective  buyers 
would  be  installed,  gathered  from  various 
sources.  A  card  similar  in  character  to  the 
one  illustrated  below  would  be  made  out  for 
each  prospective  customer,  the  tab  in  the  right 
hand  corner  indicating  that  he  is  a  "  prospect. ' ' 


1            3           5           7           9           II            13          15           17           19          21           23           25          27          29          31 
Name                                                                                                                                                               Business 

Address 

"See 

Interested  in  '                                                 "                                          sourc* 

CAT.  &  CIRC.  SENT 

LETTERS    SENT 

DATE 

NO. 

DATE 

NO. 

DATE 

NO. 

- 

These  lists  are  arranged  alphabetically  or 
geographically  and  an  advertising  campaign  be- 
gun. There  being  no  letters  on  file  from  any 
of  these  persons,  there  is  naturally  no  corre- 
spondence to  consider,  so  that  these  card  lists 
constitute  the  only  working  basis. 

Perhaps  the  first  step  is  to  send  out  a  cata- 
logue and  circular  letter  to  every  name  on  the 
list.  As  this  is  done  the  date  and  some  identi- 
fying number  of  the  literature  are  noted  on  the 
card.  At  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later,  a 
"form"  letter  is  also  sent  to  all  the  names  on 


FOLLOW-UP  METHODS  139 

the  list.  "Form"  letters  are  letters  multi- 
graphed  or  printed  in  large  quantities,  these 
containing  the  proper  information  regarding 
the  product  to  be  marketed  and  so  worded  as 
to  endeavor  to  influence  a  purchase.  Several 
form  letters  are  sent  to  a  prospect  during  the 
course  of  an  advertising  campaign,  numbered 
for  the  purpose  of  identification.  Since  all  the 
form  letters  bearing  one  number  are  identical 
it  would  obviously  be  a  waste  of  time  and  ma- 
terial to  file  carbon  copies  of  each,  so  merely  a 
notation  is  made  on  the  card  of  the  form  num- 
ber and  the  date  on  which  the  letter  was  sent. 
At  the  top  of  the  card  is  a  series  of  figures  rep- 
resenting days  of  the  month,  in  this  case  the 
alternating  days  being  skipped. 

In  response  to  some  of  the  form  letters  in- 
quiries begin  to  arrive.  Proper  notation  is 
made  in  the  "Remarks"  column  and  perhaps  a 
special  letter  or  catalogue  sent  to  the  inquirer, 
while  a  signal  is  attached  to  the  card  at  a  date 
approximately  ten  days  or  two  weeks  ahead  to 
bring  about  the  customary  follow-up.  This 
process  is  repeated  and  modified  to  suit  the  in- 
dividual case  and  in  the  event  of  the  prospect 
sending  an  order,  the  "Prospect"  tab  is  cut  off. 
As  the  business  becomes  established  and  the  cor- 
respondence accumulates,  this  method  may  be 
abandoned  or  revised  to  suit  the  new  condi- 
tions. 

Cards  for  this  purpose  vary  widely  in  the 
nature  of  the  information  contained,  but  the 
follow-up  is  performed  either  by  signals,  as  de- 


140  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

scribed,  or  by  placing  a  card  with  a  date  tab 
in  front  of  the  card  to  be  followed. 

Stencils  possess  the  same  possibilities  as  cards 
and  are  used  extensively  when  the  record  is  not 
too  involved  and  when  frequent  notations  need 
not  be  made. 

Stencils  have  provision  for  tab  designations 
of  various  sorts  and  may  be  mechanically  classi- 
fied, sorting  out  all  of  those  of  one  classification 
by  a  mere  operation  of  the  stencil  or  addressing 
machine. 

Quiz — FOLLOW-UP  METHODS 

1.  Why  is  a  follow-up  system  necessary? 

2.  What  form  of  equipment  is  used  as  a  tickler?     How 
often  is  the  tickler  consulted? 

3.  How  is  the  tickler  used  in  connection  with  an  out- 
going letter? 

4.  How  is  an  incoming  letter  followed  up? 

5.  Describe  a  card  tickler  and  explain  how  it  is  used. 

6.  Should  the  correspondent  write  before  the  date  set 
for   follow-up,   what  would  be   the   proper   procedure   to 
avoid  unnecessary  correspondence? 

7.  How  could  special  classifications  be  maintained  in  a 
card    record    without    interfering    with    the    alphabetical 
arrangement  of  the  cards? 

8.  What  system  of  follow-up  is  best  adapted  to  a  law- 
yer's office?    What  purpose  does  it  serve? 

9.  How  may  a  record  of  the  expiration  dates  of  life  or 
insurance  policies  be  maintained? 

10.  Explain  the  use  of  tab  cards.  How  could  these  be 
used  to  indicate  whether  insurance  premiums  are  due 
yearly,  semi-annually  or  quarterly? 


CHAPTER    XIV 

BANKING 

Banking  Organizations  include  the  following: 

National  and  State  Banks,  Savings  Banks,  Trust  Com- 
panies, Federal  Reserve  Banks  and  private  banks.  Bank- 
ing may  also  be  a  feature  of  other  organizations  that  are 
not  exclusively  engaged  in  banking  business. 

Records  of  Banking-  Organizations     may   be   classified   as 
follows : 

1.  GENERAL  CORRESPONDENCE. 

By  this  is  meant  letters  and  papers  pertaining  to 
transactions  with  individuals,  firms  and  corpora- 
tions. 

Any  one  of  the  systems  with  which  the  student  is 
already  familiar,  and  which  is  best  adapted  to  the 
particular  requirements  of  the  institution  may  be 
employed. 

2.  CREDIT  INFORMATION. 

This  constitutes  the  most  important  class  of  ma- 
terial in  a  banking  organization.  Because  of  its 
valuable  character  it  should  be  securely  bound  in 
binder  folders,  the  contents  of  which  may  be  segre- 
gated by  means  of  a  sheet  index. 

The  files  of  the  credit  department  are  almost  in- 
variably kept  separate  from  those  of  other  depart- 
ments.   They  are  accessible  only  to  the  staff  of  this 
department  and  to  the  officials. 
141 


142  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Again  the  best  adapted  system  may  be  used,  but 
each  individual,  bank  or  firm  should  be  assigned  a 
separate  folder.  A  condensed  summary  of  impor- 
tant information  is  often  maintained  in  card  form  to 
supplement  the  files. 

3.  OFFICERS'  CONFIDENTIAL  PAPERS. 

These  are  letters  and  papers  of  a  nature  so  con- 
fidential that  they  are  usually  kept  in  an  officer's 
individual  file,  part  of  this  material  eventually 
reaching  the  credit  files.  Because  of  the  limited 
quantity  of  this  matter  an  alphabetic  system  is  or- 
dinarily used. 

4.  REMITTANCE  LETTERS. 

These  are  printed  forms  which  accompany  remit* 
tances  received  by  the  bank  for  deposit. 

5.  COLLECTION  LETTERS. 

These  cover  requested  collections  by  another  bank 
for  which  a  charge  is  made  and  deducted  before  the 
proceeds  are  forwarded.  These  letters  are  also 
printed  forms. 

6.  LEGAL  PAPERS. 

Banking  operations  naturally  involve  extensive 
proceedings.  Usually  a  separate  legal  department  is 
maintained,  having  its  own  files. 

Legal  filing  methods,  as  previously  described,  are 
applied  in  this  department. 

7.  PAID  CHECKS. 

Upon  payment  of  checks  by  a  bank,  they  are  filed, 
pending  the  return  to  depositors  by  the  depositors' 
respective  names,  under  one  of  the  alphabetic  sys- 
tems. 

These  checks  are  kept  in  a  standard  check  file. 
This  is  made  by  all  equipment  manufacturers  in 


BANKING 


143 


SET-UP   OF   CHECK    FILE. 

sections  of  wood  or  steel,  although  m  iny  banks  have 
specially  constructed  files  for  this  purpose,  using 
the  standard  size  drawer,  which  is  approximately 
ten  inches  wide  by  three  inches  high. 

Checks  are  returned  either  at  a  stated  period  or 
with  the  depositor's  bank  book  after  his  account  has 
been  balanced. 

Depositors  usually  retain  their  checks  for  an  in- 
definite period  as  a  record  of  payments  made,  as 
paid  or  cancelled  checks  are  recognized  as  receipts  in 
case  of  a  dispute  regarding  payment  of  a  bill. 

Business  houses  use  the  same  type  of  file  for  their 
checks  after  return  from  the  bank.  These  are  filed 
numerically  by  check  number  instead  of  alphabeti- 
cally in  such  a  case. 


144  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

8.  CORRESPONDENCE  FROM  CORRESPONDENT  BANKS. 

In  a  locality  where  a  bank  has  no  branch,  it  is 
represented  by  another  bank  that  transacts  business 
necessary  in  that  district,  such  as  items  of  collection, 
etc.  This  service  is  reciprocal,  the  bank  performing 
a  like  service  for  its  correspondent,  which  necessi- 
tates each  bank  carrying  a  balance  for  the  other's 
account.  The  larger  banks  have  foreign  as  well  as 
domestic  correspondents. 

The  geographic  system  is  often  used  to  advantage 
in  handling  correspondence  with  such  banks,  almost 
every  large  town  having  its  * '  First  National  Bank, ' ' 
"Second  National  Bank,"  etc.  Remittance  and  col- 
lection letters  previously  mentioned  also  constitute 
a  large  class  of  material  received  from  the  corre- 
spondent banks. 

9.  CORRESPONDENCE  FROM  MISCELLANEOUS  BANKS. 

These  are  not  regularly  appointed  representatives, 
but  are  those  with  which  occasional  business  transac- 
tions are  necessary.  Ledger  accounts  are  not  in- 
volved in  these  transactions. 

This  correspondence  is  similar  to  that  with  corre- 
spondent banks  and  the  same  method  may  be  em- 
ployed in  filing.  Sometimes  these  two  classes  of 
correspondence  are  merged. 

10.  FOREIGN  CORRESPONDENCE. 

The  average  bank  does  a  certain  amount  of  foreign 
business  known  as  "foreign  exchange."  This  per- 
tains entirely  to  transactions  with  countries  using 
a  different  form  of  money  and  is  governed  by  ex- 
port and  import  conditions. 

The  correspondence  involved  in  these  transactions, 


BANKING 


145 


including  various  forms,  such  as  copies  of  letters  of 
credit,  etc.,  is  filed  geographically. 
11.  SIGNATURE  CARDS. 

The  old  style  signature  book  has  been  succeeded 
by  card  records.    For  every  account,  a  card  is  made 


o 


SIGNATURE   CARDS. 


out,  the  title  of  the  account  appearing  at  the  top 
either  typewritten  or  handwritten.  The  accounts  in- 
clude those  of  individuals,  firms,  corporations  and 
"joint"  accounts,  the  latter  being  those  maintained 
by  two  or  more  persons. 


146  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Usually  several  officers  of  a  firm  or  corporation  are 
authorized  to  draw  checks  against  an  account  in 
their  respective  official  capacities  and  the  signature 
card  of  such  an  organization  must  carry  the  signa- 
ture of  each  person  possessing  this  authority.  Joint 
accounts  also  contain  the  signature  of  all  the  per- 
sons represented. 

In  each  case,  for  the  purpose  of  cross  reference,  a 
separate  card  is  made  out  for  each  person  authorized 
to  draw  checks  against  the  account. 

One  card  is  all  that  is  necessary  for  an  individual 
depositor.  Of  course  all  signatures  must  be  made 
in  writing  by  the  individuals  concerned. 

Signature  cards  are   always  filed   alphabetically 
and  are  usually  arranged  in  a  file  convenient  to  the 
paying  tellers  in  order  that  signatures  may  be  com- 
pared with  those  on  checks  if  necessary. 
12.  SAVINGS  ACCOUNTS. 

Savings  banks  constitute  separate  institutions,  but 
other  banks  may  maintain  savings  departments. 

General  correspondence  in  such  a  department 
would  be  comparatively  limited  because  practi- 
cally all  business  is  transacted  personally  with  the 
depositor.  The  best  adapted  system  may  be  em- 
ployed. 

In  savings  banks  the  arrangement  of  signature 
cards  is  numeric  instead  of  alphabetic  since  the  ac- 
counts are  maintained  by  pass  book  number. 

Many  savings  banks  are  adopting  the  finger  print 
method  of  identification  in  cases  of  depositors  who 
cannot  write.  Cards  in  such  cases  are  filed  in  their 
regular  order,  but  bear  the  finger  print  instead  of 
the  depositor's  signature. 


BANKING 


147 


SAVINGS    BANK    SIGNATURE    CARDS. 

13.  SAFE  DEPOSIT  RECORDS. 

Many  banking  institutions  maintain  a  safe  de- 
posit department.  Safe  deposit  boxes  are  rented 
for  stated  periods  for  the  purpose  of  storing  valu- 
able papers,  jewels,  etc. 

Access  to  the  vaults  in  which  these  boxes  are 
kept  is  had  only  by  those  possessing  keys  to 
the  individual  boxes.  Identification  is  made  by 
means  of  these  keys,  also  passwords  and  signa- 
tures. 

At  the  door  of  the  safe  deposit  vault  is  main- 
tained an  alphabetically  arranged  signature  card 
record. 

In  some  cases  more  than  one  person  may  have 
access  to  the  same  box,  in  which  case  a  signature 
card  is  made  out  for  each.  The  following  cut  shows 


148  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

an  instance  of  this,  both  George  Harvey  and  Wil- 
liam Robinson  having  access  to  Safe  No.  77. 


MERCHANTS  NATIONAL  EANKTSafe  Dfpoiit  Dcp't)  Ind.anar^'":.  Ind 


SAFE  DEPOSIT  SIGNATURE  CARDS. 


Ledger  Record. 

A  card  record  of  renters  arranged  numeri- 
cally by  box  or  safe  numbers  provides  a  record 
of  payments. 


BANKING 


149 


The  tabs  in  the  following  cut  indicate  the  months 
in  which  the  rental  period  terminates. 


MERCHANTS  NATIONAL  BANK.  (Safe  Pepotit  Pep'lj.  Indianapolis   Ind, 
LEDGER   RECORD. 

14.  TRUST  RECORDS. 

Since  most  trust  companies  do  a  general  banking 
business,  their  records  are  identical  with  those  of  a 
bank,  to  a  certain  extent.  Since  such  a  company 
acts  as  an  executor,  trustee,  or  in  some  similar 
capacity  for  its  clients,  provision  must  be  made 
for  all  of  the  various  documents,  securities  and 
papers  of  each  client.  Certain  services  of  a  legal 


150  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

nature  are  often  rendered,  investments  made,  col- 
lections looked  after,  bills  paid,  etc.,  which  in- 
volve the  maintenance  of  various  records.  Methods 
of  handling  this  material,  however,  are  determined 
by  the  usual  conditions,  and  involve  nothing  with 
which  the  student  is  not  already  familiar.  Banking, 
real  estate,  insurance  and  legal  features  go  to  make 
up  the  routine  of  a  trust  company  or  trust  depart- 
ment, and  these  are  covered  in  other  lessons. 

Quiz — BANKING 

1.  Name  at  least  five  organizations  engaged  in  banking 
business. 

2.  How  may  general  correspondence  in  a  bank  be  filed? 

3.  What  do  you  understand  by  credit  information  ? 

4.  What  is  a  correspondent  bank?    How  is  correspond- 
ence with  such  banks  filed? 

5.  What  is  a  miscellaneous  bank?     How  is  correspond- 
ence with  such  banks  filed? 

6.  What  can  you  say  about  signature  cards,  method  of 
filing,  etc.,  in  national  banks? 

7.  How  is  the  signature  record  in  a  savings  bank  filed  ? 

8.  What  can  you  say  about  the  use  of  finger  prints  in 
savings  banks? 

9.  What  is  the  purpose  of  a  safe  deposit  department? 
What  records  are  kept  and  how  filed  ? 

10.  What  is  the  purpose  of  a  trust  department? 


CHAPTER   XV 

SALES 
Correspondence. 

Any  of*  the  various  methods  of  filing  may  be  applied 
to  the  correspondence  of  a  selling  organization,  but 
usually  one  of  the  alphabetic  systems  or  a  geographic 
system  is  used.  The  latter  has  its  advantages,  as  men- 
tioned in  the  lesson  on  geographic  filing,  when  a  large 
extent  of  territory  is  covered.  The  correspondence  from 
the  salesmen  in  the  field  is  often  kept  separate  from  the 
general  correspondence. 
Sales  Records. 

Card  records  are  indispensable  to  a  sales  organization. 
They  contain  all  of  the  valuable  statistics  relating  to 
the  marketing  of  its  product  and  constitute  the  means 
by  which  the  sales  manager  is  able  to  visualize  the  activi- 
ties of  the  selling  force.  No  other  variety  of  business 
offers  such  possibilities  for  intelligent  operation  of  card 
systems  and  a  properly  equipped  filing  clerk  must  be 
schooled  in  their  maintenance. 
Sales  Eeports. 

The  original  source  from  which  all  information  is 
gleaned  for  these  records  is  the  sales  reports  sent  in  by 
the  selling  force.  These  range  all  the  way  from  printed 
forms  similar  to  the  one  illustrated  on  page  52  to  detailed 
letters  giving  the  necessary  facts  regarding  a  salesman's 
activities. 

Forms  similar  to  the  following  may  be  furnished  the 
151 


152 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


salesman  in  pads.  When  sending  in  a  report  to  the  office, 
he  makes  these  out  in  duplicate,  retaining  one  for  his 
own  reference.  The  other  is  turned  in  to  the  salesmanager. 
This  particular  form  provides  for  the  name  and  address 
of  the  prospective  customer,  the  proper  member  of  the 
firm  to  see,  and  a  record  of  the  dates  on  which  the  sales- 
man called,  with  a  memorandum  of  the  results.  If  cata- 
logues or  other  literature  should  be  sent  from  the  home 
office  a  notation  to  that  effect  is  also  made  on  the  report. 


SAVES  MAN 

Name 

No. 

Street                                                                   Town 

See 

Dates 

Call  up 

Send 

(    ) 

SALESMAN'S  REPORT  SLIP. 

Customer's  Records  and  Follow-up. 

Upon  receipt  of  this  report  by  the  sales  manager,  a 
digest  is  made  out  on  a  card  similar  to  the  one  marked 
"D"  in  the  cut  on  page  153. 

The  original  report  regarding  this  prospective  cus- 
tomer will  probably  contain  facts  regarding  the  possible 
opportunities  of  selling  him  goods  at  a  later  date,  to- 
gether with  information  as  to  where  his  orders  are  being 


SALES 


153 


SALES    STATISTICS,    CUSTOMERS'  EECORD  AND  FOLLOW-UP   FILE. 


placed.  At  the  right  edge  of  this  card  is  a  tab.  It  is 
sometimes  of  advantage  to  classify  customers  and  pro- 
spective customers  by  trade  or  business  by  means  of  tabs. 


154  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Thus  1  might  represent  a  dealer,  2  an  agent,  3  a  jobber, 
etc.,  so  that  in  glancing  over  the  list  of  cards  it  is  readily 
ascertained  just  what  proportion  of  each  the  file  contains. 
When  advertising  matter  of  a  certain  variety  is  sent  out, 
only  certain  of  these  classifications  would  require  it, 
while  other  varieties  would  be  sent  to  other  classes  of 
customers.  In  studying  this  cut,  it  will  be  noticed  that 
about  the  center  of  the  filed  cards  appear  tabs  bearing 
''10-12,"  etc.  In  case  the  salesman  writes  that  a  cer- 
tain customer  should  be  called  upon  or  communicated 
with  on  or  about  a  certain  date,  one  of  these  cards  is  filed 
immediately  in  front  of  the  customer's  card.  This  acts 
as  a  reminder  to  the  salesmanager,  whose  duty  it  is  to 
see  that  this  is  done  at  the  specified  time,  the  tabs  repre- 
senting the  days  of  the  month. 

Card  C  shows  the  reverse  side  of  Card  D.  If  a  pros- 
pective customer  begins  to  make  purchases,  the  card  is 
reversed  in  the  file,  this  side  of  the  card  providing  for 
statistics  in  regard  to  purchases  extending  over  a  given 
period  of  time.  In  this  particular  illustration  two  grades 
of  commodities  are  being  dealt  in  and  the  records  show 
just  how  much  of  each  the  customer  is  buying.  This 
record  of  comparative  sales  month  by  month  and  year  by 
year  enables  the  salesmanager  at  a  glance  to  determine 
just  the  amount  of  business  being  done. 

B  is  a  town  guide  containing  a  recapitulation  of  all 
the  data  contained  on  the  cards  of  the  customers  in  that 
particular  town,  while  A  is  a  state  guide  containing  a 
similar  recapitulation  covering  the  business  done  in  the 
entire  state. 

This  outline  illustrates  in  general  the  operation  of  a 
sales  record,  which  is  simplified  or  elaborated  upon  ac- 
cording to  the  organization  in  which  it  exists.  Steel 


SALES  155 

signals  may  be  used  for  indicating  follow-up  activities 
instead  of  the  tab  cards  illustrated  here.  The  numbered 
tabs  on  the  cards  may  be  made  to  represent  different 
lines  of  goods  sold  instead  of  classes  of  trade.  In  some 
cases,  sales  reports  are  made  up  to  conform  in  size  to  the 
cards  of  the  sales  record  and  these  reports  filed  directly 
back  of  the  customer's  card. 

Salesmen's  Route  Cards. 

These  are  filed  alphabetically  under  the  salesmen's 
names  and  keep  the  constantly  changing  addresses  of 
the  traveling  salesmen  readily  accessible. 

Credit  Department. 

Every  selling  organization  has  its  credit  department 
in  which  is  maintained  all  possible  information  regard- 
ing the  financial  standing  of  the  firm's  customers.  This 
information  is  obtained  from  various  sources — salesmen, 
mercantile  agencies  such  as  Bradstreet's  and  Dun's; 
from  other  customers  and  banks,  and  is  in  the  form  of 
special  reports  or  correspondence.  Because  of  its  valu- 
able character  and  the  fact  that  as  a  rule  no  one  paper 
is  removed  from  the  folder,  this  information  is  usually 
filed  in  a  folder  of  the  binder  type,  the  latest  informa- 
tion at  the  front.  Separate  files  are  maintained  for  the 
credit  department  solely  for  these  records  and  general 
correspondence  with  these  customers  kept  in  the  general 
files.  The  method  of  filing  this  material  may  be  alpha- 
betical, numerical  or  geographical. 

For  convenience  of  reference  a  record  of  credit  infor- 
mation should  be  kept  on  cards  to  supplement  the  credit 
file. 

These  cards  may  be  of  any  of  the  standard  sizes  and 
contain  condensed  information  obtained  from  the  re-, 
ports.  If  a  customer's  payments  become  consistently  poor 


156 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


or  there  is  some  impairment  of  his  credit,  a  signal  or 
check  is  used  to  call  the  credit  manager's  attention  to 
this  fact.     These  signals  are  usually  of  the  type  men- 
tioned elsewhere. 
Map  and  Tack  System. 

This  is  employed  in  connection  with  territorial  work 
and  permits  of  a  number  of  applications. 


DRAWER   CONTAINING   MAP  AND   TACK   SYSTEM. 

Maps  of  the  various  states  or  groups  of  states  are 
placed  in  large  shallow  drawers  of  a  cabinet  built  for 
this  purpose,  one  map  to  each  drawer.  Tacks  with  dif- 
ferent colored  heads  are  used  with  these  maps  for  pur- 
poses of  classification,  often  one  color  being  assigned  each 
salesman  and  by  inserting  a  tack  of  this  particular  color 
in  each  town  which  the  man  is  to  cover,  the  route  may  be 
visualized  by  a  glance  at  the  map.  Again  these  tacks 
may  be  used  to  designate  some  situation  peculiar  to  a 
certain  town  and,  as  shown  in  the  cut,  a  colored  string 
may  be  used  to  define  certain  boundaries  or  strung  from 
one  tack  to  another  to  mark  the  progress  of  a  salesman 
from  town  to  town  when  he  is  covering  his  territory. 


SALES  157 

Bills  and  Invoices. 

This  class  of  material  may  be  merged  with  the  cor- 
respondence, using  a  separate  folder  of  a  different  color 
filed  directly  back  of  the  correspondence.    If  a  separate 
file  is  maintained  devoted  entirely  to  this  purpose,  it  is 
well  also  to  maintain  a  distinctive  color  for  the  folders. 
Pending  payment,  bills  and  invoices  are  usually  kept 
by  a  cashier  whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  payment  is  made 
within  the  specified  time  in  order  to  take  advantage  of 
the  discount  as  two  per  cent,  off  ten  days. 
Advertising  Department. 

The  work  of  this  department  is  so  distinct  and  separate 
from  that  of  the  general  office  that  it  usually  maintains 
its  own  records.  The  correspondence  may  be  filed  under 
the  system  best  adapted  to  its  needs  regardless  of 
whether  or  not  it  is  the  same  as  that  used  for  the  general 
office  files. 

DRAWINGS  AND  PHOTOGRAPHS. 

Illustrations  for  catalogues  or  other  advertising 
matter  are  made  from  drawings  or  photographs. 
Legal  or  correspondence  size  vertical  files  may  be 
used  for  these  drawings  if  not  too  large,  but  if  they 
exceed  the  dimensions  of  this  type  of  cabinet  they 
may  be  filed  in  flat  shallow  drawer  cabinets. 
Original  photographs  may  be  handled  in  a  similar 
manner  and  a  numerical  card  index  used  in  con- 
junction to  facilitate  reference,  each  drawing  or 
photograph  being  given  a  number  and  filed  behind 
heavy  guides. 
CUTS  AND  ELECTROTYPES. 

Mounted  cuts  or  electrotypes  are  filed  face  up  in 
shallow  drawers,  each  bearing  a  number  pasted  on 


158  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

the  side  of  the  wooden  block  and  reference  made  by 
means  of  a  card  index. 

Unmounted  plates  may  be  filed  vertically  in 
drawers  of  suitable  size  in  envelopes  or  folders  and 
an  imprint  of  each  mounted  on  the  container  to  fa- 
cilitate identification. 

When  material  of  this  character  is  sent  to  a 
printer  to  be  used  in  a  catalogue,  ''out"  charges 
should  be  made  in  the  index  using  a  system  similar 
to  that  used  in  charging  out  correspondence  and  a 
record  made  on  the  card  of  when  and  to  whom  this 
has  been  sent.  Drawings  sent  to  an  engraver  ne- 
cessitate a  similar  record  of  their  going  and  coming. 
CLIPPINGS. 

Newspaper  clippings  are  sometimes  of  value  for 
reference  in  an  advertising  department  and  these 
may  be  mounted  on  heavy  manila  sheets  or  on  the 
inside  of  the  folders  or  filed  in  envelopes  according 
to  their  size  and  character.  Clippings  pertaining 
to  one  subject,  of  course,  are  filed  together  and 
either  an  alphabetic  subject  arrangement  main- 
tained, or  if  the  file  is  extensive  enough  to  justify 
it,  the  clippings  may  be  arranged  numerically  by 
subject  when  used  in  conjunction  with  a  card  index. 
CHECKING  UP  ADVERTISING. 

When  an  order  is  placed  with  a  magazine  or 
newspaper  for  a  certain  piece  of  copy  to  be  run 
for  a  specified  time,  a  card  record  should  be  main- 
tained stating  the  name  of  the  publication,  the 
amount  of  space  the  advertisement  is  to  occupy  and 
length  of  time  to  run,  etc.  One  card  should  be  used 
to  each  publication  and  these  cards  filed  alphabeti- 
cally. 


SALES  159 

Catalogues  are  usually  identified  by  a  number  in 
addition  to  the  title  and  several  copies  of  each 
should  be  filed  in  the  advertising  department  in  ver- 
tical files  for  reference. 


Quiz — SALES 

1.  What  can  you  say  about  the  filing  of  correspondence 
in  a  sales  organization? 

2.  What  is  a  sales  record  ? 

3.  Of  what  value  is  a  sales  report? 

4.  Give  a  brief  description  of  a  customer's  record. 

5.  What  is  the  purpose  of  route  cards  ?    How  filed  ? 

6.  What  do  you  understand  by  credit  information  ?    How 
is  it  filed  ? 

7.  Describe  the  "Map  and  Tack"  System. 

8.  How  are  drawings  and  photographs  filed? 

9.  How  are  electrotypes  filed? 

10.  What  method  would  be  employed  in  checking  up  ad- 
vertising ? 


CHAPTER   XVI 

M  ANUF  ACT  UKING 

Manufacturing. 

The  office  of  a  manufacturing  plant  may  be  divided 
into  the  following : 
COST  DEPARTMENT. 

In  this  department  records  are  kept  of  the  ' '  over- 
head" and  proper  distribution  of  charges  made  in 
estimating  the  cost  of  certain  articles  manufactured. 
This  involves  time  and  labor  costs  plus  a  certain 
amount  for  plant  maintenance,  and  includes  the  cost 
of  raw  material.  These  records  are  highly  involved 
and  of  such  a  technical  nature  as  to  require  the 
services  of  a  factory  cost  expert  and  as  a  rule  are 
not  handled  by  a  filing  clerk. 
PURCHASING  DEPARTMENT. 
Catalogues. 

Catalogues  must  be  filed  in  such  a  manner 
that  each  is  instantly  accessible,  whether  refer- 
ence is  made  by  the  name  of  the  manufacturer 
or  the  article  desired,  and  for  this  purpose  the 
numeric  system  is  best.  At  least  two  cards  are 
made  out  for  each  catalogue,  one  filed  under  the 
name  of  the  article  showing  a  list  of  firms  sup- 
plying the  article,  the  other  filed  by  the  name  of 
the  firm  showing  a  list  of  articles  supplied,  as 
illustrated  on  page  161. 
160 


MANUFACTURING 


161 


H 


B 


C\ 


NAME  American  ouie  co«, 

NO 

83 

ADDRESS 

SPEC. 

PAGE 

Sandpaper 

D.  L. 

oiue 

Form  «.«,, 

DEALER'S  CARD. 


Shafting 


Saws 


Scales 


F      ARTICLE 

Sandpaper 

FIRM 

•OOHCSS 

e.T.  «o. 

American  Glue  Co., 

83 

Armour  SandPauer  WorXs 

665 

1  Austin  &  Eddv 

17 

Minnesota  Min.  Mfg.  Co. 

92 

m 

ARTICLE    CARD. 


162  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

The  article  cards  are  filed  alphabetically  by 
name  of  commodity.  Each  card  carries  a  list 
of  dealers  in  that  particular  commodity  and 
the  file  numbers  of  their  respective  catalogues. 
Dealers'  cards  are  also  filed  alphabetically. 

These  two  classes  of  cards  are  sometimes 
merged  but  are  generally  kept  separate. 

If  few  in  number,  catalogues  may  be  filed 
alphabetically  under  the  name  of  the  manufac- 
turer. 
Equipment  for  Filing  Catalogues. 

The  four-drawer  legal  unit  is  generally  em- 
ployed for  the  housing  of  catalogues.  Heavy 
metal  tip  guides,  numbered  in  sequence,  are 
used,  one  to  each  manufacturer.  Folders  are 
unnecessary,  except  for  pamphlets.  A  large 
catalogue  in  volume  form  may  be  placed  on  a 
shelf  or  in  a  book  case  near  the  files  with  the 
catalogue  number  pasted  on  the  binder  edge. 
Quotation  Records. 

In  the  card  illustrated  on  page  163,  a  record 
of  the  price  quoted  is  made,  and  as  these  figures 
vary  from  time  to  time,  this  provides  for  com- 
parisons of  the  fluctuation  in  prices. 

Many  purchasing  agents  send  out  regular 
forms  known  as  " tenders"  or  requests  for  quo- 
tations when  in  the  market  for  one  or  more  com- 
modities. These  are  usually  letter-size  sheets  on 
which  are  listed  the  various  articles  on  which 
quotations  are  desired.  Copies  of  these  "ten- 
ders" are  kept  in  a  pending  file,  alphabetically 
arranged  until  the  arrival  of  the  necessary  quo- 
tations, when  they  are  removed  and  used  as  a 


MANUFACTURING 


163 


check  to  ascertain  if  all  of  the  firms  which  have 
been  asked  to  bid  have  responded.  Compari- 
sons are  then  made  and  the  order  placed,  the 
" tenders"  being  filed  with  the  correspondence 
of  the  respective  bidders. 


Quantity 


Prlce 


Total 


!Lt 


7™ 


QUOTATION    CARD. 

Requisitions. 

When  any  certain  department  is  in  need  of 
supplies  a  requisition  is  issued  on  the  purchas- 
ing department.  These  requisitions  are  made 
in  duplicate  and  numbered  in  sequence.  They 
contain  a  list  of  the  supplies  wanted  and  one 
copy  is  sent  to  the  purchasing  agent,  the  other 
being  retained  until  the  supplies  are  received 
and  checked  up.  When  the  order  for  these  sup- 
plies is  issued  by  the  purchasing  department  the 


164  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

requisition  number  is  entered  thereon,  so  as  to 
identify  the  material  when  received. 
Purchase  Orders. 

Having  received  satisfactory  quotations,  the 


I  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  IS  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23H25  26  27  26  29  30  31 

'der  GREAT  NORTHERN  PAPER  CO. 

MORSE-OLIVER  BUILDING. 
BANGOR.  ME. 


2  3  4  5  6  7  $  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  2O  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  2^ 

Purchase  Order  NORTHERN    pAPER    CQ. 


No    M9«> 


MORSE-OLIVER  BUILDING. 


To  BANGOR.    ME.  Date  Checked. 

Please  ship  via  to 


I  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  IJ  12.  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29 

PurchaseOrder  GREAT    NORTHERN    PAPER   CO, 

No.  '<986  MORSE-OLIVER  BUILDING, 

To  BANGOR.  ME.  Dale  Checked. 

Please  ship  vi.  Vtj 


IMPORTANT. 

Purchase  Order  Number  musi  be  entered 
on  bill.  Send  bill  on  date  of  shipment  to  us 
at  above  address. 


TRIPLICATE   PURCHASE   ORDER    SYSTEM. 


agent's  next  move  is  to  issue  necessary  orders 
for  buying  goods.  Purchase  orders  may  be 
made  out  in  duplicate,  triplicate  or  greater 
numbers.  If  they  are  made  out  in  triplicate,  the 
original  is  sent  to  the  dealer  as  his  authority  to 


MANUFACTUEING 


165 


ship  material  ordered ;  the  duplicate  to  the  stock 
clerk  whose  duty  it  is  to  check  up  the  material 
as  it  is  received  and  the  triplicate  are  kept  on 
file  in  the  purchasing  agent 's  office  to  follow  up 
the  delivery. 

In  the  preceding  cut  it  will  be  noticed  that 
the  orders  are  printed  with  the  numbers  1  to  31, 
indicating  the  days  of  the  month,  across  the  top. 
Upon  an  order  having  been  placed,  the  pur- 
chasing department  will  secure  a  delivery  date 
as  a  rule,  and  by  means  of  a  signal  attached  to 
this  date,  a  close  follow-up  for  delivery  prom- 
ises may  be  maintained. 
Blue  Prints  and  Drawings. 

The  drawing  or  sketch  of  a  pattern,  special 
equipment  or  lay-out  originates  in  the  drafting 
department,  from  which  tracings  and  blue 
prints  may  be  made.  The  method  of  handling 
this  material  varies  according  to  the  size  and 


BLUE  PRINT   FILE    CLOSED. 


166  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

character.  Tracings  should  not  be  folded  as 
they  are  usually  made  on  linen,  and  are  gen- 
erally filed  in  large  shallow  drawers  or  sus- 
pended in  a  cabinet  designed  to  meet  just  such 
requirements. 

In  this  device  large  envelopes  are  suspended 
having  at  the  top  a  wooden  strip  providing  for 
a  label.  Inside  the  cover  of  the  case  is  an  index 
for  listing  by  number  these  various  envelopes, 


SHOWING    METHOD   OF    SUSPENSION. 

the  subjects  being  arranged  alphabetically  on 
the  index. 

Blue  prints  may  also  be  filed  in  a  case  of  this 
character  or  in  either  of  the  three  following 
ways: 

1.  Folded  and  filed  in  legal  size  vertical 
files.     No  folders  are  necessary  and  heavy 
press-board  guides  are  recommended. 

2.  Rolled  in  large  tubes  and  placed  in 
pigeon-hole  cases  made  for  that  purpose. 

3.  Filed  in  large  shallow  drawers. 


MANUFACTURING 


167 


SUPPLY  DEPARTMENT. 
Stock  Records. 

Records  of  both  the  raw  material  and  the  fin- 
ished product  are  essential  in  the  manufactur- 
ing plant  since  it  is  important  to  know  just  what 
is  on  hand.  A  card  system  affords  the  simplest 
means  of  recording  this  information.  Cards  are 
made  out  containing  a  description  of  the  ma- 
terial, ruled  in  columns  for  the  amount  on  or- 
der, the  amount  on  hand  and  the  amount  with- 
drawn. They  also  provide  a  record  of  the 
maximum  and  minimum  quantities  that  should 
be  maintained. 
GENERAL  OFFICE. 

Employees'  Record  Cards. 

Cards  are  kept  for  the  purpose  of  recording 
applications  and  these  are  filed,  first  by  class 
of  position  wanted  and  then  by  the  name  of  the 


EMPLOYEES'  APPLICATION  AND  RECORD. 


168  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

applicant.  When  an  applicant  is  employed  his 
card  is  removed  and  filled  out  on  the  reverse 
side  with  his  name,  address,  salary,  etc.,  and 
filed  alphabetically  in  a  separate  list,  kept  for 
employees. 
Bills  and  Correspondence. 

Any  desired  system  of  filing  for  the  general 
office  correspondence  may  be  used  and  bills  or 
invoices  may  be  filed  with  this  or  separately, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  office. 

Quiz — MANUFACTURING 

1.  What  are  the  duties  of  the  cost  department? 

2.  What  system  and  equipment  is  generally  used  to  best 
advantage  in  filing  catalogues? 

3.  Outline  the  necessary  index  cards  for  catalogues  from 
Willys-Overland,   Inc.,   and   Packard   Co.,  both  manufac- 
turers of  automobiles.    How  are  these  cards  filed  ? 

4.  What  is  a  quotation  record?     How  filed? 

5.  What  are  requisitions  and  purchase  orders? 

6.  Wliat  is  a  tracing?    A  blue  print? 

7.  What  equipment  is  employed  in  filing  tracings  and 
blue  prints? 

8.  Describe  a  stock  record.    How  is  it  filed? 

9.  How  does  the  general  office  handle  its  employment 
records  ? 

10.  Is  the  filing  of  correspondence  in  a  manufacturing 
plant  confined  to  any  one  system? 


CHAPTER    XVII 

STOCKS  AND  BONDS 

Stocks  and  Bonds. 

In  most  cases  a  brokerage  or  banking  house  deals  in 
both  stocks  and  bonds,  the  two  varieties  of  securities 
being  so  similar  from  a  sales  standpoint  as  to  be  prac- 
tically inseparable.  Quite  naturally,  especially  in  the 
case  of  out-of-town  customers,  the  correspondence  in 
such  an  office  is  heavy  and  the  records  are  of  the  utmost 
importance,  involving  the  services  of  a  filing  clerk  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability  and  offering  salaries  commen- 
surately  good. 

In  a  house  doing  strictly  a  commission  business,  that  is, 
buying  and  selling  stocks,  for  their  customers  on  a  mar- 
gin basis,  or  on  an  outright  purchase  basis,  for  which  the 
brokers  receive  a  commission,  the  records  involved  in 
such  a  transaction  are  kept  largely  in  books  and  on 
cards  (assuming  that  the  firm  is  dealing  principally  in 
stocks)  and  the  correspondence  is  somewhat  limited. 
This  condition,  however,  is  characteristic  only  of  the 
commission  variety  of  brokerage  firms  and  does  not  apply 
to  those  doing  a  general  security  business. 

A  brokerage  house  doing  a  general  bond  business  has 
its  force  of  salesmen  in  the  field  on  practically  the  same 
basis  as  any  other  selling  organization,  with  local  or  ex- 
tensive out-of-town  territory  to  be  covered,  as  the  case 
may  be.  These  salesmen  solicit  business  from  individuals 
with  funds  to  invest,  from  banks,  trustees  of  estates,  etc., 
and  report  to  their  general  sales  office. 

169 


170  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

CUSTOMERS'  LIST. 

In  the  general  offices  are  maintained  records  of 
sales  and  prospects,  salesmen's  reports,  statistics 
and  other  details  that  contribute  towards  efficiency 
in  a  sales  campaign,  the  general  operating  prin- 
ciples of  which  are  similar  to  those  outlined  in  our 
lesson  on  " Sales." 

The  usual  classification  tab  system  is  maintained 
on  the  main  record  cards,  the  tabs  designating  either 
the  class  of  investors  or  the  class  of  securities,  ac- 
cording to  the  method  adopted.  In  the  former,  the 
tab  designations  (numbered  and  keyed)  might  have 
the  following  significance : 

No.  1  Tab,  Estates. 

No.  2     "     Savings  Banks 

No.  3     "     State  Banks 

No.  4    "     National  Banks 

No.  5     "     Trust  Companies 

No.  6     "     Private  Banks 

No.  7    "     Other  Institutions 

No.  8     "     Dealers 

No.  9     "     Individuals 

When  the  salesman  sends  in  his  regular  report 
slips,  the  information  thereon  is  transferred  to  the 
card  in  the  usual  manner,  and  if  the  prospect  be- 
comes a  customer,  the  card  may  be  reversed,  or  a  cus- 
tomer's  card  made  out.  The  detail  on  these  cards  is 
of  the  same  character  as  that  of  an  ordinary  sales 
record,  and  the  cards  would  be  arranged  by  sales- 
men's territories,  geographically,  alphabetically  or 
by  whatever  method  the  size  of  the  list  and  other 
conditions  might  determine. 

A  bond  house  having  a  large  clientele  of  individ- 


STOCKS  AND  BONDS 


171 


ual  investors  might  find  it  more  feasible  to  classify 
its  prospective  and  actual  customers'  list  by  the 
class  of  securities  in  which  each  particular  individ- 
ual might  be  interested.  A  salesman  in  calling  upon 
a  client,  for  instance,  finds  that  he  confines  most  of 
his  purchases  to  one  class  of  securities,  due  either  to 
preference  or  because  of  some  restriction.  He  re- 
ports this  fact  to  his  home  office  on  a  slip  similar 
to  the  one  shown  below,  and  if  the  investor  in  ques- 
tion makes  a  specialty  of  railroad  bonds  his  name 
is  entered  upon  a  card  bearing  a  tab  numbered 
accordingly.  As  an  illustration : 

No.  1  Tab     Municipal  Bonds 

No.  2     "       Railroad 

No.  3     "       Industrial 

No.  4    "       Government 
etc.,  etc. 


2  Favorable 


3  Follpy 


4  In  funds  toon 


6  Personal  friend 


8  No  funds  now 


0  Not  worth  following 


Called       Follow          Subject         I  ,  2 1 


M|IJJI3JJ4||5JA|B  |  C    D    E 


12  Invests  trust  funds 


14  T.  Tn*  free  H-M.  Mun. 


I4.R.R.R.          H-S.  Stki. 


.  Mtge.    15-L.  Legal 


Outside  holdings 


o 


MARK  X  "*   CIRCLE    f  OR    MEMO.  ON   BtVCRBE 


0  Send  personal  latter 


FORM  OF  SALES  REPORT  SLIP. 


172     **  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

These  cards  would  be  arranged  in  alphabetical  or 
geographical  order  and  the  detail  posted  to  them 
practically  the  same  as  the  other  list,  the  only 
difference  in  effect  and  operation  being  that  when 
the  list  is  consulted  the  tabs  show  at  a  glance  in 
what  securities  a  customer  is  interested  or  may  be 
buying,  while  the  former  list  shows  the  classifica- 
tion of  customers.  In  the  latter  list  the  tabs  offer 
a  quick  means  of  reference  when  sending  out  reports 
and  other  statistics.  For  instance,  if  the  firm  oper- 
ating such  a  card  system  knew  that  John  Jones 
usually  purchases  railroad  securities  in  preference 
to  any  other  (as  indicated  by  No.  2  tab  on  his  card) 
literature  pertaining  to  that  particular  class  would 
be  sent  him. 

Eecords  of  bonds,  alphabetically  filed  by  the  name 
of  the  organization  issuing  them,  compose  another 
vital  record.  These  cards  contain  information  as  to 
description,  purpose  for  which  issued,  interest,  size 
of  issue,  maturity  date,  etc.,  according  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  security. 
BIDS  AND  OFFERS. 

Cards  of  large  size  containing  information  as  to 
"Bids"  and  "Offers"  are  also  filed  in  similar  man- 
ner— these  applying  respectively  to  bids  which  have 
been  made  for  securities  and  offers  which  have  been 
made  for  their  sale. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 

The  correspondence  of  such  an  institution  may  be 
filed  in  practically  any  one  of  the  recognized  stand- 
ard methods,  this  again  being  determined  by  the 
bulk  of  the  business  done  and  other  individual  con- 
ditions. Form  letters  are  sent  out  in  immense  q.uan- 


STOCKS  AND  BONDS  173 

titles  uy  the  larger  houses  dealing  in  securities  and 
the  mailing  list  is  a  big  item.  Names  of  persons 
or  organizations  supposed  to  have  money  for  in- 
vestment are  secured  from  various  sources,  and  are 
circularized  from  time  to  time,  and  naturally,  a 
relatively  small  proportion  of  those  to  whom  litera- 
ture or  form  letters  are  sent  become  actual  cus- 
tomers. 

For  general  mailing  a  stencil  list  is  much  used, 
since  it  would  be  impracticable  to  make  out  a  card 
for  each  name  in  case  of  a  general  campaign.  Usu- 
ally, however,  when  the  advertising  matter  has  suf- 
ficiently aroused  the  interest  of  a  prospective  in- 
vestor to  prompt  him  to  write  a  letter  of  inquiry  to 
the  firm,  he  is  then  given  a  card  in  the  file  and 
given  more  specific  attention  than  the  general  mail- 
ing list  affords.  His  evolution  from  prospect  to 
customer,  or  to  the  discards,  is  then  a  matter  of 
routine,  his  first  letter  probably  giving  some  idea 
of  the  securities  in  which  he  may  be  interested  and 
thereby  determining  what  variety  of  tab  card  shall 
be  assigned  to  him  in  the  prospective  list.  Follow- 
up  letters  are,  of  course,  sent  from  time  to  time, 
using  one  of  the  methods  previously  outlined  in 
other  lessons,  and  frequently  these  letters  are  sup- 
plemented by  salesmen's  calls  should  the  prospect 
reside  in  a  community  where  the  firm  has  a  repre- 
sentative. 
STATISTICS  FILE. 

Keports  and  statistics  which  are  constantly  being 
issued  by  railroads,  industrial  organizations,  etc., 
having  a  bearing  upon  the  financial  standing  of 
their  respective  organizations  are  carefully  classi- 


174  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

fied  and  filed  away,  usually  in  correspondence  size 
cabinets,  since  all  of  these  figures  and  statistics  are 
invaluable  in  enabling  a  firm  to  consistently  recom- 
mend to  a  client  or  customer  the  purchase  of  a  cer- 
tain security. 
FINANCIAL  LIBRARY 

The  larger  bond  houses  maintain  a  financial 
library  for  reference,  and  the  indexing  of  the  vol- 
umes, while  sometimes  requiring  the  services  of  a 
special  librarian,  often  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  filing 
clerk.  This  involves  the  usual  library  methods, 
using  title  and  author  cards,  with  proper  provision 
for  cross  reference,  etc. 

Quiz — STOCKS  AND  BONDS 

1.  "What  is  the  character  of  the  business  of  a  brokerage 
house  ? 

2.  What  two  methods  of  tab  classification  may  be  used 
for  a  customers'  list? 

3.  Describe  the  evolution  from  " prospect"  to  customer. 

4.  How  is  correspondence  filed  ? 

5.  "What  other  records  would  come  under  a  filing  clerk's 
supervision  in  addition  to  the  correspondence   a^d  cus- 
tomers' list? 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
CARD  LEDGERS 

With  the  passing  of  the  old  bound  book  method  of 
keeping  ledger  accounts  has  come  the  adoption  of  cards 
for  this  purpose. 

In  a  card  ledger  there  is  expansiveness  at  every  point 
and  unlimited  flexibility,  while  every  account  is  a  unit 
in  itself.  None  of  the  accounts  is  affected  in  any  way 
by  the  growth  of  the  ledger,  the  removal  of  a  dead  ac- 
count or  the  insertion  of  a  new  one.  These  cards  carry 
on  both  sides  regular  ledger  ruling,  and  may  be  filed 
by  any  one  of  the  various  methods  with  which  the  stu- 
dent is  familiar,  as  applied  to  commercial  use.  The 
numeric  method  is  perhaps  the  most  generally  used,  since 
it  maintains  the  usual  principles  of  a  ledger — a  series  of 
cards  numerically  arranged  and  used  in  conjunction  with 
an  index — which  method  simply  parallels  the  numbered 
leaves  of  a  bound  ledger  and  an  index  showing  the  pages 
on  which  the  various  accounts  may  be  found. 

The  following  cut  illustrates  a  numeric  card  ledger 
showing  a  tray  containing  six  hundred  accounts.  Each 
card  is  provided  with  a  tab  showing  the  final  figure  of 
the  account  number.  Thus,  upon  referring  to  the  card 
index  (which,  of  course,  would  be  maintained  in  alpha- 
betical order  and  usually  on  three  by  five  cards)  the 
bookkeeper  would  find  that  the  New  England  Electric 

175 


176 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


Company's  account  was  number  1201.  Turning  to  the 
tray  containing  the  ledger  cards  his  eye  focuses  first 
upon  the  guides  at  the  left,  arranged  by  hundreds,  then 


NUMERICAL    CARD    LEDGER. 

to  the  next  row  of  guides,  arranged  by  tens,  then  to  the 
tab  on  the  card  itself — No.  1,  giving  him  the  required 
card  without  handling  more  than  two  guides  and  locat- 
ing the  card  almost  instantaneously.  The  card  is  re- 
moved, the  entry  made,  and  the  card  reinstated  in  the 


CARD  LEDGERS  177 

tray  without  any  loss  of  time  and  without  disturbing 
any  of  the  other  accounts. 

The  index  being  on  cards  instead  of  in  a  book  is  like- 
wise easy  of  reference,  with  no  irregularities  in  the  al- 
phabetical arrangement  of  the  names,  and  permitting 
"weeding  out"  of  the  cards  as  an  account  is  closed  off 


the  books.  In  many  cases  the  ledger  is  occasionally  re- 
vised and  accounts  which  may  have  been  inactive  for 
a  considerable  period  transferred  into  a  tray  provided 
for  such  contingencies.  The  index  card  may  also  be 
transferred  unless  it  serves  some  other  purpose  than 
simply  that  of  an  index.  If  a  firm  goes  out  of  business, 
or  for  some  reason  it  is  determined  that  no  further  deal- 
ings with  it  will  be  possible,  the  number  of  that  account 
may  be  assigned  to  another  customer.  As  the  face  of 


178 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 


the  card  is  filled  it  is  reversed,  the  totals  being  carried 
to  the  other  side,  and,  with  both  sides  filled,  another 
card  bearing  the  same  number  is  inserted  in  the  file  back 
of  the  original. 

The  conditions  determining  the  most  satisfactory 
method  to  be  used  in  a  card  ledger  are  identical  with 
those  governing  the  selection  of  similar  systems  for  cor- 
respondence. 

Equipment  for  the  card  ledgers  varies  from  a  two- 


SECTIONAL   SITTING   DESK. 

drawer  cabinet  of  any  of  the  standard  sizes,  to  the  desks 
with  a  capacity  of  twenty  thousand  cards.  Types  of 
standing  and  sitting  desks  are  shown. 

In  the  former,  there  is  provided  capacity  for  ten  thou- 
sand accounts  on  cards  eight  inches  high  by  five  inches 
wide  (one  of  the  most  commonly  used  sizes).  One  book- 
keeper can  easily  handle  ten  thousand  accounts  by  using 
a  desk  of  this  character. 

The  sitting  type  of  desk  is  built  on  a  unit  or  sectional 
plan,  the  one  illustrated  consisting  of  two  sections  con- 
taining cards,  joined  by  another  section  which  consti- 


CARD  LEDGERS  179 

tutes  a  posting  board.  If  the  number  of  accounts  does 
not  justify  the  installation  of  a  desk  of  two  card  sec- 
tions, one  may  be  used  with  the  posting  board  supported 
at  the  other  end  with  a  paneled  support  made  for  that 
purpose.  These  desks  likewise  provide  accommodation 
for  card  trays  of  any  of  the  standard  sizes,  the  capacity, 
of  course,  being  determined  by  the  size  of  the  card  em- 
ployed. Steel  signals  are  much  used  with  a  card  ledger 
for  indicating  overdue  accounts  or  slow  payments. 

Quiz — CARD  LEDGERS 

1.  What  are  the  advantages  of  the  card  ledger? 

2.  Describe  the  cards  used  for  this  purpose.     What  is 
the  size  generally  used? 

3.  a.     What  system  of  filing  is  generally  used  in  caring 
for  a  card  ledger? 

b.     Describe  its  use  in  this  connection. 

4.  How  does  the  bookkeeper  locate  a  given  account  when 
an  entry  is  necessary? 

5.  Wherein  lies  the  advantage  of  the  card  index  in  con- 
nection with  a  card  ledger? 

6.  What  is  the  method  of  handling  accounts  that  have 
been  inactive  for  a  great  length  of  time  ? 

7.  When  an  account  is  closed  out  for  any  reason,  what 
disposition  is  made  of  the  number  formerly  carried  by  that 
account  ? 

8.  What  is  the  position  in  the  file  of  second  or  subse- 
quent cards? 

9.  What  equipment  is  used   for  card   ledger  records? 
What  is  the  capacity? 

10.  Approximately  how  many  accounts  can  one  book- 
keeper handle  by  using  a  card  ledger  desk? 


APPENDIX 
FILING  AND  INDEXING  RULES 

1.  Arrange  all  material  in  dictionary  order  (alphabetically), 

maintaining  sequence  of  letters  to  the  last  letter  of  the 
last  word. 

Example — 

A.  A.  Shoe  Co. 

A.  &  M.  Hat  Mfg.  Co. 

Abbott,  Henry 

Adams,    Edward 

Adams  &  Haste 

Adams  Realty  Co. 

Allan,  Frank  A. 

Allen,  F.  Arnold 

Art  Students  League 

Art  World 

Artists  League 

Association  for  Safety  Engineers 

Atwood,  A.  Chas. 

Atwood  Bros. 

2.  Invert  proper  names,  considering  first  the  surname,  then 

the  given  name  or  initial. 

Example — 

John  Brown Brown,   John 

Robert  A.  Burrage Burrage,  Robert  A. 

J.  Walter  Clark Clark,  J.  Walter 

3.  When  the  name  of  an  individual  is  embodied  in  a  firm 

name,  consider  first  the  surname  of  the  individual. 
180 


APPENDIX  181 

Example — 

Henry  E.  Kane  &  Co Kane,  Henry  E.,  &  Co. 

J.  E.  Linde  Paper  Co Linde,  J.  E.,  Paper  Co. 

L.  B.  &  K.  C.  Matthews. .  .Matthews,  L.  B.  &  K.  C. 
John  Miller-Dudley  Frost .  Miller,  John-Dudley  Frost 

Otherwise  names  of  firms,  corporations  and  institutions, 

etc.,  should  be  arranged  as  written. 
Example — 

Central  Vermont  Railway  Co . .  as  written,  filing  first 

by  "Central." 

Harris,  Forbes  &  Co as  written,  filing  first 

by  "Harris." 

Harrisburg  Novelty  Co as  written,  filing  first 

by  "Harrisburg." 

K  &  K  Trucking  Co as  written,  filing  first 

by  "K." 

4.  An  initial  precedes  a  name  beginning  with  that  initial. 

Example — 

Carter,  H.  J. 
Carter,  H.  John 
Carter,  Henry 

5.  Given  and  surnames  spelled  as  two  words  are  treated  as 

one.    This  covers  such  prefixes  as  La,  Le,  De,  Von,  etc. 
Example — 

de  Puyster  as  depuyster 

Di  Bianco  "  Dibianco 

Du  Pont  "  Dupont 

El  Aswad  "  Elaswad 

Le  Blanche  "  Leblanche 

1'Hommedieu  "  Ihommedieu 

O'Connell  "  Oconnell 

Von  Schoonhoven  "  Vonschoonhoven 

6.  The  prefix  "Mac"  occurring  in  certain  names  of  Scotch  and 

Irish  origin,  signifying  "son,"  is  often  abbreviated  to 


182  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

"Me"  and  in  British  usage  to  "M,"   as  MacDonald, 
McDonald  or  M'Donald. 

Filed  as  an  abbreviation  (See  Rule  11)  the  order  would 
be— 

M'Donald 

McGlynn 

MacQuade 

which  arrangement  may  be  followed  to  advantage,  par- 
ticularly where  the  spelling  of  the  prefix  is  uncertain. 
Filed  in  strictly  alphabetical  order,  which  is  simple  and 
logical,  the  order  would  be — 

M'Donald 

MacQuade 

McGlynn 

In  some  instances  entirely  separate  guides  are  provided 
for  "Me"  and  it  is  best  to  follow  them  in  whatever 
order  they  appear. 

7.  Hyphenated  and  compound  names  and  words  are  prefer- 
ably treated  separately. 
Example— 

Air-o-Pad  as  AIR-o-Pad 

Airly-Hale,  Inc.  "  AIRLY-ftale,  Inc. 

E.  I.  Du  Pont  de  Nemours 

&  Co.,  Inc.  "  DU  PONT  de  Ne- 

mours, E.  I.,  &  Co.,  Inc. 
Gordon-Ricketts  Co.  "  GORDON-RICK- 

ETTS  Co. 

New  Jersey  Electric  Co.      "  NEW  Jersey  Elec- 
tric Co. 
New  York  School  of  Filing  "  NEW  York  School 

of  Filing 

Newburg  Celluloid  Co.        "  NEWBURG  Cel- 
luloid Co. 

Newton  Foundry,  Inc.        "  NEWTON  Foundry, 

Inc. 


APPENDIX  183 

Some  indexers,  however,  treat  them  as  one. 
Example — 

Airly-Hale,  Inc.  as  AIRLYHALE,  Inc. 

Air-o-Pad  "  AIROPAD 

E.  I.  Du  Pont  de 
Nemours  &  Co.,  Inc.      "  DUPONTDENE- 

MOUES,  E.  I.,  &  Co., 
Inc. 
Gordon-Ricketts  Co.  "  GORDONRICK- 

ETTS  Co. 

Newburg  Celluloid  Co.         "  NEWBURG  Cel- 
luloid Co. 

New  Jersey  Electric  Co.       "  NEW  JERSEY  Elec- 
tric Co. 
Newton  Foundry,  Inc.        "  NEWTON  Foundry, 

Inc. 

New  York  School  of  Filing  "  NEW  YORK  School 

of  Filing 

It  should  be  noted  that  in  the  latter  example  the  alpha- 
betic order  is  reversed  in  several  instances — Airly-Hale, 
Inc.,  preceding  Air-o-Pad,  Newburg  Celluloid  Co. — New 
Jersey  Electric  Co.,  so  whichever  form  is  adopted 
should  be  consistently  maintained  throughout  the  files. 

8.  When  one  name  occurs  with  different  addresses,  an  alpha- 

betic arrangement  according  to  towns  is  maintained, 
the  state  being  considered  only  when  there  is  a  dupli- 
cation of  town  names. 

Example — 

Acme  Tool  Company,  Adams,  Mass. 
Acme  Tool  Company,  Bridgeport,   Conn. 
Acme  Tool  Company,  Chicago,  111. 
Acme  Tool  Company,  Springfield,  III. 
Acme  Tool  Company,  Springfield,  0. 

9.  Surnames  or  single  titles  when  used  alone,  should  precede 

the  same  surnames  having  initials  or  given  names. 


184  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

Example — 
Kurzman, 
Kurzman,  Geo.  H. 

10.  Apostrophe  s('s)  indicating  singular  possessive  is  not  con- 
sidered in  filing. 

Example — 

Brentano's  as  Brentano 

S  apostrophe  (s'),  indicating  plural  possessive,  is  filed  as 
written 
Example — 

Girl  Scouts 

«  Girls'  Friendly  Society 
Girls'  Home 

11:  Abbreviations  are  treated  as  though  spelled  in  full 
Example — 

Wm.  as  William 

Jno.  "  John 

St.  Ste.  "  Saint  or  Sainte 

N.N  Y.  "  New  York 

12.  Titles  such  as  Dr.,  Mrs.,  Miss,  Prof.,  should  be  written 
after  the  given  names  and  initials  and  should  be  en- 
closed in  ()  and  disregarded  in  filing,  unless  names  are 
duplicated;  in  such  cases,  the  name  without  the  title 
precedes  the  one  with  the  title. 
Example — 

Brown,  John 

Brown,  John  (Dr.) 

12.  The  titles  "Jr.,"  "Sr.,"  "1st,"  "2nd,"  should  be  treated  as 
part  of  the  name,  and  not  put  in  (). 
Example — 

Hale,  Henry,  Jr. 

14.  Names  or  titles  beginning  with  numerals  should  be  filed 
as  though  the  numerals  were  spelled  out  in  full. 


APPENDIX  185 

Example — 

7th  Regiment  as  Seventh  Regiment 

In  a  city  real  estate  index,  which  is  usually  arranged  by 
location,  numbered  streets  are  arranged  in  numerical 
sequence  and  the  named  streets  alphabetically. 

15.  Names  of  organizations  beginning  with  the  name  of  an  in- 

dividual are  indexed  both  ways.    Correspondence  is  filed 
under  surname  and  cross  referenced  under  given  name. 

Example — 

Washington  Irving  High  School — Irving,  Washing- 
ton, High  School. 

16.  When  the  address  to  be  recorded  is  designated  by  the  name 

of  the  building  and  by  street  and  number,  preference 
should  be  given  to  the  street  and  number. 

Example — 

New  York  School  of  Filing, 

Johnston  Building,  1170  Broadway, 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

should  be — New  York  School  of  Filing, 
1170  Broadway, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

17.  When  the  address  carries  more  than  one  number,  index  by 

the  lowest  number. 

Example — 

Hastings  Foundry  Company, 
2-4-6-8  Beaver  Street, 

Pittsburg,  Pa. 
should  be — 

Hastings  Foundry  Company, 
2  Beaver  Street, 
Pittsburg,  Pa. 

18.  When  writing  cards  for  local  correspondents,  do  not  use 

the  word  "City"  following  the  address,  but  write  out  the 
name  of  the  city  in  full. 


186  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  FILING 

19.  "And,"  "&,"  "of,"  "for,"  and  "the"  are  ignored  in  filing 

but  not  omitted  in  writing  the  title.  When  "The"  is  part 
of  the  title,  it  should  be  put  at  the  end  in  ( ) . 

Example — 

The  Castle  Hat  Co.— Castle  Hat  Co.  (The) 

20.  Government   papers   and   letters   are   divided   into   three 

divisions : 

,  1.  Federal  Government.     This  covers  the  executive  de- 

partments of  the  United  States,  whose  headquarters 
are  usually  at  Washington,  D.  C.  These  depart- 
ments are  alphabetically  arranged  under  "United 
States."  "Dept.  of,"  "Bureau  of,"  "Chamber  of," 
etc.,  are  placed  after  word  or  phrase  they  modify 
in  parentheses. 

Example — 

Department  of  Agriculture — U.  S.  Agriculture 

(Dept.  of) 
"  "    Commerce  —  "  "  Commerce 

(Dept.  of) 

Interior  Department  — "  "  Interior  Dept. 

Department  of  Justice       — "  "  Justice 

(Dept.  of) 

The  bureaus  or  divisions  of  these  departments  would  be 
alphabetized  under  the  name  of  the  department. 

Example — 

Weather  Bureau,  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  and 
Bureau  of  Chemistry,  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture — 

U.  S.  Agriculture  (Dept.  of) 
Animal  Industry   (Bureau  of) 
Chemistry   (Bureau  of) 
Weather  Bureau 


APPENDIX  187 

2.  State  government. 

Papers  pertaining  to  the  state  government  should  be 
filed  under  the  name  of  the  state  in  question. 

Example — 

State  of  New  York,  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania— 

New  York,  State  of 
Pennsylvania,   Commonwealth  of 

3.  City   government. 

Papers  pertaining  to  the  city  government  should  be 
filed  under  the  name  of  the  city. 

Example — 

City  of  New  York- 
New  York,  City  of 

The  bureaus,  departments,  etc.,  of  states  and  cities 
should  be  alphabetized  under  the  proper  states  and 
cities  as  in  the  case  of  Federal  correspondence. 

21.  Where  the  names  of  publishers  or  persons  financially  re- 

sponsible for  magazines  or  periodicals  are  known,  cor- 
respondence should  be  filed  under  these  names  with  a 
cross  reference  under  the  name  of  the  periodical. 

Example — 

Saturday  Evening  Post  See  Curtis  Publishing  Co. 
Record  (The)  See  John  Ellery. 

22.  The  principle  of  the  foregoing  rule  also  applies  to  commer- 

cial enterprises. 

Example — 

Correspondence  from  The  Beehive  of  Newark, 
N.  J.,  owned  by  L.  S.  Plaut  &  Co.,  should  be 
filed  under  Plaut,  L.  S.,  &  Co.,  with  a  cross  ref- 
erence under  Beehive  (The)  See  L.  S.  Plaut 
&  Co. 


INDEX 


Accession  book,  34 

Advertising  department,  157 

Alphabetic  system,  22 

Application  cards  (employ- 
ment), 167 

Architectural  records,  classifica- 
tion of,  56-61 

Automatic-numeric  filing,  67 

Automatic  system,  67 

Banking,  141-150 

Bellows  file,  1 

Bills  and  invoices,  157 

Blue  prints  and  drawings,  165 

Box  file,  2 

Card  cabinets,  8 
Card  catalogues,  85 
Card  ledger,  175 
Cards : 

Punching,  75 

Stock  sizes,  74 
Catalogues,  160 
Checks,  143 
Clippings,  158 
Collection  letters,  142 
Collection  trays,  8 
Copy  book,  16 
Credit  file  (sales),  155 
Credit     information      (banks), 

141 
Cross  reference  sheet,  27 


Daily  or  daily  report,  122 
Decimal  system,  61 


189 


Distribution    shelves   or   refer- 
ence shelves,  9 
Docket  (legal),  115 
Documents,  106 
Drawings,  165 
Duplex-numeric  system,  59 

numeric  filing,  39 

subject  filing,  59 

Early  filing  devices,  1-3 
Electrotypes,  cuts,  etc.,  157 
Employee's  records,  167 

Fire  insurance,  122-125 
Flat  file,  2 
Folders : 

Binder,  11 

Expansion,  11 

Straight-edge,  10 

Tab,  10 

Folders,  individual,  27 
Folders,  miscellaneous,  26 
Follow-block,  8 
Follow-up  methods,  133-140 

Geographic  filing,  47 
Guides,  12-13 

card,  75-80 

out,  28 

Horizontal  units,  5 

Indexing,  74-92 
Automatic, 
General, 


190 


INDEX 


Index,  visible,  82 
Insurance,  118-125 
Invoices,  157 

Law  office  records,  114-116 
Ledger  cards,  175 
Legal  blanks,  116 
Legal  filing,  105-117 
Legal  terms,  108 
Letter  press,  16 
Library  systems,  85 
Life  insurance,  118-121 

Mail: 

Incoming,  15 

Outgoing,  15 
Map  and  tack  system,  156 

Numeric  system,  32 

Outcharging  (methods  of),  28- 

30 
Out  guides,  28 

Purchase  orders,  164 
Purchasing     department,     162- 
164 

Quotation  records,  162 

Real  estate,  126-132 
Reference  shelves,  9 
Requisitions,  163 
Rotary  copier,  16 
Rules : 

General,  180 

Indexing,  180 

Safe  deposit,  147 


Salesmen's  route  cards,  155 

Sales  records,  151 

Savings  department  (banking), 

146 

Shelf  box,  94 
Signature  cards,  145 
Sorting  tubs,  8 
Spindle  file,  1 
Steel  signals,  84 
Stock  records,  167 
Stocks  and  bonds,  169 
Subject  filing,  53 
Substitution  cards,  30 

Tickler : 
Card,  137 

Correspondence,  133 
Transferring,  93 
Equipment,  94-97 
Guides  and  folders,  100 
Alphabetic,  101 
Automatic,  102 
Geographic,  102 
Numeric,  101 
Subject,  102 
Methods : 
Bodily,  97 
Continuous,  99 
Double  Capacity,  98 
Trust  companies,  141 
Twenty-name  system,  79 

Units,  4-5 
Horizontal,  4 
Upright,  5 

Vertical  units,  5 
Visible  index,  82 


(21 


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